Animal control officer is mauled by dog during welfare check in Fort Lauderdale
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WFLA) — A Broward County Animal Control officer was hospitalized last week after she was attacked by a dog and suffered serious injuries.
The attack happened in the 700 block of Southwest 14th Terrace around 7 p.m. Thursday.
According to NBC affiliate WTVJ, the animal control worker, Martina Bernard, was doing a welfare check on an American Staffordshire terrier mix when the dog began to maul her.
Police said that a neighbor called 911 after hearing a woman cry for help and seeing the dog with its teeth around her neck.
Body camera video shows officers arriving at the scene to find Bernard laying on the ground in the backyard with her face covered in blood.
The dog's owner is also seen in the video holding down the dog, which had been stabbed in an attempt to remove it from Bernard.
The officer can be heard asking the woman where she was bit, to which she responds, 'All over my head, my face, my breast, my neck.'
Bernard was rushed to Broward health Medical Center for treatment.
Officers removed the dog who was transported to Broward County Animal Care where it was later euthanized.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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