An elderly woman who lost her son to a roadside bomb in Iraq two years ago was attacked and injured by three dogs Monday in Independence.
Betsy Rankinen, 83, was bitten on the right leg Monday morning outside her friend’s house at 600 Hereford Ave.
As Rankinen arrived at a house to visit her friend, three dogs converged on her. She was not seriously injured.
“She had a puncture wound on her leg,” Independence city communications director Irene Baltrusaitis said. “I don’t think she was mauled.”
Aimee Wells, the city’s animal control director, was unavailable for comment.
After the attack, Rankinen drove to Independence Police Central Headquarters. Animal control met her at the department.
An ambulance transported the woman to a local hospital for evaluation. Rankinen was released a short time later.
The dogs included a 6-month-old mixed breed basset hound, a female basset hound and an adult Welsh Corgi German shepherd.
Rankinen told animal control workers that she did not know which dog bit her.
Animal control seized temporary ownership of the dogs, common protocol when there’s an animal attack. The dogs will be held for 10 days for disease testing.
The owners of the dogs live at 604 E. Hereford Ave. When the owner realized the dogs had escaped from either the house or the yard, the owner’s daughter went to round up the animals. The daughter came back to report to the mother that a woman had been bitten.
Rankinen did not file a complaint.
Army Spc. Shawn Rankinen, Betsy’s adopted son, and two fellow soldiers died in March 2007 when a roadside bomb detonated north of Baghdad. The 28-year-old Rankinen spent six years in the Navy before joining the Army.
