Winter Garden woman injured protecting baby from dog with history of aggression
Parents say they were attacked by dog while shielding baby
An Orange County woman is recovering from a severe leg injury after she says she placed her body over her infant daughter's stroller to protect the child from a neighbor's dog that attacked her. She is questioning why the animal was still in the neighborhood despite previous reports of aggression.
WINTER GARDEN, Fla - An Orange County woman is recovering from a severe leg injury after she says she placed her body over her infant daughter's stroller to protect the child from a neighbor's dog that attacked her.
She is questioning why the animal was still in the neighborhood despite previous reports of aggression.
‘Most unimaginable pain’
What they're saying:
Katie Blacketor said the attack happened Oct. 9 as she was with her 4-month-old daughter, Harley.
"He came from behind me and yanked my leg out from under me," Blacketor said. "The dog was just thrashing me back and forth. Oh, like the worst, most unimaginable pain that you can think of."
As the dog bit her leg, Blacketor said she focused on protecting her daughter.
"I just laid on top of the stroller, covered it with my body to protect her," she said.
Blacketor said she feared the dog would turn on her baby if it released its grip on her.
"All I'm trying to think is like, is there anything I can do? Should I do anything? Cause like, if he lets go of me, like my baby is the next target," she said.
Blacketor received nine stitches. Doctors are monitoring her for infection and plan to assess whether she has ligament damage after the swelling subsides.
She also faces a series of rabies shots because the dog, identified as Kobe, was not current on its rabies vaccinations.
"The dog is not up-to-date on its rabies vaccines, and so we're doing the rabies protocol now, which is a series of shots over 14 days," Blacketor said.
Previous reports involving the dog
Dig deeper:
According to Orange County Animal Services records described in the report, Kobe had been involved in two earlier incidents involving other dogs.
On June 25, the dog was reportedly being walked off-leash when it lunged at another dog. Animal Services said there was no physical contact and the other dog's owner did not provide a written statement, leaving the agency with insufficient evidence to issue a citation.
About two and a half weeks before that incident, Kobe was reportedly off-leash when it attacked a dog named Vader, a 9-year-old miniature schnauzer being walked by its owner.
Vader was taken to an animal hospital with puncture wounds around his neck, bite marks on his body and an eye injury, according to the account.
Vader's owner said the dog intervened when Kobe went after her two young children.
Animal Services cited Kobe's owner in connection with the earlier incident, with fines totaling $640, according to the report.
Questions about accountability
The Oct. 9 attack has raised questions for Blacketor about why the dog remained in the neighborhood after the earlier incidents.
The details provided do not establish what actions authorities took following the previous reports or whether the latest attack has resulted in additional enforcement measures.
It was not immediately clear whether Kobe remains in its owner's custody or whether Orange County Animal Services has initiated further action following the attack on Blacketor.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by Orange County Animal Services and an interview with Katie Blacketor on Oct. 16, 2026.