‘Not today … I’m not dying today’ | North Texas man survives getting mauled by neighbor’s dogs

ARLINGTON, Texas — A man in Arlington is recovering after being mauled by his neighbors dogs and spending more than seven hours in the emergency room. 

The City of Arlington said the man, identified as Terrance Marshall, was attacked by dogs at an apartment complex located at 708 Ridgeglen Drive. City officials said he was taken to an area hospital with injuries that were serious but not life-threatening, according to the police report. 

WFAA spoke with Marshall, who said he was checking the weather before heading to work when the dogs attacked him. 

“I walked outside and the dogs were barking … normally they bark and just go about their business,” Marshall said. “But the owner of the dog ran toward me to grab the dog that was walking toward me. Apparently, they took that as a threat and that’s when all of them rushed me.”

Marshall told WFAA that when the dogs rushed him, one dog was biting his arm and he hit that dog in the jaw. Another dog grabbed him on the ear, and two other dogs bit through his work boots, one on each leg. And then another dog bit him on the back of the head, leaving a big gash, Marshall said.

“I was thinking ‘not today, I’m not – I’m not dying today. I’m not gonna go today.’  So, I just fought and just fought and just fought,” Marshall told WFAA. 

Marshall said he had never experienced anything like this before. 

“You always hear about it on the TV, but you never expect it to occur and happen to you,” Marshall said.

The owner of the dogs was trying to pull some of the dogs off, Marshall said, but was ineffective by himself. Two more people came out to help and started pulling the dogs off, but Marshall said the damage had already been done. 

City officials said Arlington Animal Services gave the dogs’ owner until noon on Monday to submit the dogs for quarantine or to surrender them to the City for rabies testing. The city said the owner did not surrender the dogs by the deadline.

In an update on Tuesday, Animal Services said “investigators are actively searching for the dogs and the people associated with this incident.” By 8 p.m. on Tuesday, the dogs were seized and are in quarantine observation. No citations were issued at this time, the city said, but the investigation was ongoing. 

“Our number one goal right now is to have these dogs in custody for rabies observation to keep our citizens and community safe until further determination can be made,” the city continued in its Tuesday statement.

“Never underestimate anyone, anybody, any animal at any time,” Marshal said. “I think my thinking was, I underestimated them because it was a natural thing. They would be outside barking; I would walk past them, and everything would be ok. I think I underestimated them.”

Marshal told WFAA he spent 7.5 hours in the ER and got 79 stitches. His 79th stitch was his pinky finger on this left hand.