Twin sisters from Richmond said they were “ripped apart like a chew toy” by one twin’s family dog, while trying to protect the other woman’s young son, said a friend of the victims.
Friend Ally Gomez called Jessi and Kati Mather “heroes” for leaping to the defense of three-year-old Jayden while the normally docile dog suddenly turned on them.
“Jayden definitely received a traumatizing experience but he was saved by his aunt and his mom. They are both heroes,” Gomez said.
The 21-year-old twins were walking in the park with Jayden and Yogi, a three-year-old Rottweiler/Husky cross owned by Kati Mather and her boyfriend, Gomez said.
“The dog had been pulling, trying to get away from them,” Gomez said. “She tugged, he turned around and attacked them. Jayden was trying to run away. Jessi was holding him back.”
The dog attacked the twins, injuring Jessi but biting Kati more than 100 times, fracturing her arm and detaching her bicep.
A 73-year-old man, Ken Brodie, jumped his fence to try and ward the dog off and he was bitten as well.
“They’re both really shaken up. They can’t forget it. They were constantly telling me how they were ripped apart like a chew toy,” Gomez said.
The 21-year-old twins have been released from hospital, and are puzzled as to why the dog reacted that way, Gomez said.
“They took Yogi home at seven weeks and had him for three years and not once did he do anything like this. For him to turn on them, it’s their family dog. It’s like losing a member of the family. It’s so sad for them,” she said, adding that no one yet knows what’s going to happen to the dog.
Yogi remains in the custody of the Richmond Animal Protection Society until the city decides what to do next. Officials could deem it fit to euthanize the dog.
The twin’s dad, Steven Mather, wrote on Facebook that his daughters were attacked. “Jessi is stitched up and doing ok, and Kati is going in for emergency surgery as I type this! Any additional prayers and love is welcomed!”
Another relative, Andrina Kelly, wrote in a post, “The little boy mentioned is my grandson Jayden and luckily he was not harmed. His mom Jessi and aunt Kati protected him from this vicious attack. I know there is a long recovery for them both physically and psychologically but their family will be there every step of the way.”
The pair was bit so badly it’s going to be some time before they can return to waitressing or serving jobs, which is their main source of income. Gomez said she has built them a GoFundMe fundraising website.
“They are in really bad condition. They are beautiful girls but they are really hurt. Bites all over their body,” she said.
“They’re going to need help dealing with this. I made the page for them because I know this has been successful in the past and I think it’s something they deserve.”
