Laura Kizman said her life was turned upside down after she was mauled by her neighbors' two dogs in December. She said the attack lasted nearly 10 minutes.
She and her husband are now suing the dogs' owners, accusing them of failing to take proper precautions to control them.
"Very quickly, I knew I was in a lot of trouble," Kizman recalled. "The first thing I thought of was my family and my kids. I have four kids."
Kizman said she was out for her daily run when she stopped to help her neighbor capture one of the dogs that was on the loose. That's when she said the neighbor's other two dogs, both Rottweilers, started biting her.
She and the neighbor tried to fight off the dogs, but couldn't. Another neighbor saw the attack, grabbed a gun, and shot and killed one of the dogs. The other dog was scared off.
Attorney Tim Cavanagh said the Kizmans have substantial medical bills from the attack and are suing the dogs' owners, who do not face criminal charges.
Kizman suffered severe injuries to her legs, arms and scalp, and stayed in the hospital for nearly a month. She continues to go to rehab and now needs a walker to get around.
"I have a positive attitude and I feel like I'm going to overcome it as much as I possibly can," she said.
The Kizmans said the dogs' owners voluntarily had the second Rottweiler euthanized the day after the attack, and that they apologized for what happened. Kizman could face more surgeries as she continues to recover.