The three pit bulls that viciously attacked a Douglasville woman two weeks ago have not shown any signs of rabies, according to Wes Tallon, Douglas County spokesman.
That's good news for Frankie Forsh, 56, who continues to recover from bite wounds to her arms, legs and face. The pit bulls jumped on Forsh as she took a morning walk in her neighborhood July 5.
Forsh heads back to Grady Memorial Hospital today for a follow-up examination, said her husband, longtime Douglas County High girls basketball coach Chet Forsh.
"Things have gotten a lot better, but there's still a ways to go and psychologically, it's going to be a long time," Chet Forsh told the AJC. "The face was the most obvious-looking wound, but the deepest one is in her right arm.
"She's been a real trooper and she's done really well."
A receptionist and attendance clerk at Bright Star Elementary in Douglasville, Frankie Forsh was supposed to go back to work today but can't due to her injuries. She hopes to return in a few weeks.
"We just have to see how the therapy goes, how well she can use the computer," Chet Forsh said.
The dogs are being held in the county's animal shelter. They'll stay there until cases against their owner and caretaker are resolved.
Authorities first charged owner Akmad Rahim Coleman, who was out of town when the attack happened, with 20 misdemeanor violations of animal control ordinances.
They include three counts each of dogs attacking humans unprovoked, improper restraint, having canines at large on public property, no rabies vaccination or tags displayed, and failure to provide adequate water.
Coleman's friend, Shawn Tirrell Williams, was later charged with reckless conduct. Investigators said Williams went to the house on July 4, let the dogs out and left them on the back porch, according to the Douglas County Sentinel.
But Williams testified in Magistrate Court that he didn't leave the dogs unattended and that several people had a house key and were in and out while Coleman was away, the Sentinel reported.
The dogs jumped a porch gate and attacked Forsh around 8 a.m. Neighbors heard her screams and hit the dogs with rocks, sticks and anything else they could find. The dogs scattered and were eventually captured.
Forsh was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where doctors stitched up gashes on her face and arms.
Coleman is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 5.
"They should be held totally responsible," Chet Forsh said of Coleman and Williams. "It's your responsibility, if you own a pet, to make sure it's maintained and contained so it doesn't injure somebody."
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