CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — Nathan Dowd said his 20-year-old daughter, Gabi, was attacked by her own dog over the weekend, forcing her to spend Christmas and possibly New Year’s Day in the hospital.
Dowd told only Action News Jax that he got a call from her wife on Sunday saying Gabi had to be rushed from the hospital. Dowd said his wife had first received a call from Gabi’s friend, who was with her at the time of the attack, alerting her that her dog had bitten her arm multiple times.
“It was all pretty frantic,” Dowd said, “when [this] happens, you know, your brain runs a million directions. You just never know.”
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Dowd said Gabi and her friend were at their Orange Park home when the attack happened, and nothing was done to provoke the dog. He said the dog has never been violent with any of their family members since they rescued it as a stray two months ago.
“The dog has always been very sweet and loving and has bonded with my daughter,” said Dowd, “so it was very much a surprise.”
Dowd said Gabi was taken to the HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital, where he found out both bones in one of her forearms were broken and she had 10 blood clots because of the attack. He told Action News Jax that the doctors at the hospital couldn’t do the procedure to remove Gabi’s blood clots, so she was sent to an Orlando hospital after concerns about the lack of blood flow to her hand.
“This has been very stressful, especially during the holidays. We’ll be down [in Orlando] probably until early January at least,” Dowd said.
Action News Jax reached out to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and requested the number of dog bite incidents in Clay County over the last three years. We’re still waiting for a response at this time, but research from the CDC shows more deaths from dog bites are being reported across the U.S.
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The CDC reported that, in 2018, there were 35 deaths in the U.S. after a dog bite. 81 deaths were reported in 2021, and 113 were reported in 2024.
Dowd is thankful his daughter is alive, even though his family can’t be home for Christmas.
“The initial major concerns are gone, but there’s still some stress that we’re under right now,” said Dowd.
One of Dowd’s friends started a page to raise money to pay for his daughter’s medical costs, which can be found at the link here. The nonprofit Best Friends Animal Society shared advice on safely taking care of a stray animal, which can be seen here.
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