Jocelyn Gradijan was filling the bird feeders in her backyard when she noticed a neighbor's dog watching her from behind its chain link fence. As a dog owner and lover, she pulled out a treat from her pocket and tried to throw it to the dog.
She said that's when the dog became violent.
"The dog breached the barrier because he’s large enough to leap over and took off about 35 percent of my left cheek," Gradijan said.
Gradijan was rushed from her home on Crabapple Lane to the hospital. She underwent surgery and was forced to have half of her mouth sewn shut for months, but her wounds will likely never fully heal.
The attack happened on December 11.Three months later, Gradijan said neither the dog nor its owner have faced any consequences.
"I feel terrified. I look outside, and I don’t want to walk into my backyard anymore," Gradijan said. "There’s a dog out there who can just jump over and hurt anybody. I’m scared."
Gradijan said Montgomery County Animal Control referred her to the City of Clarksville for help. But so far, no one has stepped in to make sure the dog is secured.
"There are kids in this neighborhood. It could happen again," Gradijan said. "I just don't want to be on the wrong side of, 'I told you so.'"
The dog's owner declined to be interviewed for this story.
