His attention turned away from Maya for a second so that he could push my front door open and she followed. At that point I grabbed him in the groin as hard as I could. He doubled over and released the grip around my neck. I pushed him away and grabbed Maya by the collar. I like to think, at that moment, he told himself he had picked the wrong woman to mess with. He looked at me one last time, only for a second, and then simply walked away. I waited and followed him from a distance just in case he decided he wasn’t done yet. He was getting into a car. I repeated the license plate number over and over in my head and ran back inside to call 911.
The police arrived after only a couple of minutes. Officers gathered evidence and asked so many questions. I told them how Maya had come to my rescue. I also told them that Maya had something red on her face. They asked me if she was alright or if she was injured. When I checked her, she looked up at me and had such a proud look on her face. She was licking her chops and wagging her tail. If dogs could talk, I think at that moment she would have said “he sure wasn’t expecting to see me, was he?” Maya was fine. Now the officers were trying to determine the best way to swab the head of an angry pit bull. After a couple of tries, and lots of patience, they were able to retrieve what they needed. I told myself that he was going to be arrested the same day. He wasn’t. Everyday following the attack, I worried that he would be back.
Sometime later, Detective Kimber asked me to come down to the station. He had pictures of potential suspects and wanted to know if any of them looked like my attacker. After writing out a statement about one of the photos, Detective Kimber said “we processed the DNA and got a match.” It was same man that I had picked from the photos. The lab had processed the blood from Maya’s face and got a match. I could not believe it. It turns out this man had a record and this was his third strike. He was arrested shortly after being identified. Anthony Easley, 38 years old, now facing life in prison if convicted. After the arrest, Maya became the local hero. I’ve learned that our story has reached across the country. I wish everyone knew how grateful I am for the support and the prayers. It makes each day a little easier to deal with. I cry sometimes when I hug Maya and ask her “ What would I do without you?” But first, I thank God for bringing Maya into my life.
“I'm so proud and grateful that Maya has been honored with the National Dog Day Hero Dog Award for 2008 and feel truly blessed to have her as part of the family. We cant imagine life without her.” ~Angela Marcelino
National Dog Day Hero Dog Award for 2008