Woman airlifted after dog attack
Published 1:30 am Friday, July 17, 2026
A Camano Island woman was seriously injured and airlifted to Harborview Medical Center after her dog attacked her July 10, according to the Island County Sheriff’s Office.
The owners of a home in the area of Michael Way had recently acquired a 4-year-old Sarplaninac, which is a Yugoslavian livestock guardian dog, to protect their animals. One of the owners, a 34-year-old woman, was conducting a training session with the dog inside a closed paddock.
After briefly leaving the paddock, she returned to continue the training session. Noticing the dog appeared “off,” she extended her hand to allow the animal to smell her, the sheriff’s office reported.
“The dog immediately latched onto her hand, pulled her to the ground, and nearly severed one of her fingers,” the press release states. “The dog continued to bite the victim until she managed to escape the paddock with the help of another family member.”
The woman also suffered multiple bites to her legs, hips and shoulder.She was was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center for emergency treatment.
The dog was securely contained at the scene following the incident. Island County Animal Control later confirmed the dog was euthanized at the owners’ request.
