In a tragic turn of events, a Pennsylvania mother was fatally attacked by her neighbor’s two Great Danes while she was feeding them during the owner’s absence. Kristen Potter, 38, was mauled by the large dogs inside the neighbor’s home on Thursday evening, according to Perry County Coroner Robert Ressler.
First responders weren’t able to reach Potter until animal control officers arrived and tranquilized the dogs.
Potter’s young son was also present during the attack because he accompanied her to feed the dogs. Fortunately, he managed to escape and call for help when the animals turned on his mother.
Following the horrifying incident, the two Great Danes responsible for the attack were euthanized at a veterinarian’s office. A third Great Dane was in the home during the ordeal but did not participate in the attack.
It has been suggested that the dogs may have initially been fighting each other and redirected their aggression towards Potter when she attempted to intervene. The owner of the dogs, Wendy Sabathne, expressed her shock and heartbreak over the tragic incident.
Sadly, this was not the first time one of the dogs had bitten Potter. Her father, Bill Keefer, reported that she had been bitten by one of them a few years prior. Potter had already faced tremendous loss in her life, including the death of her husband and her 11-year-old son, who was fatally struck while riding his bike in 2020.
Potter, a mother of two from Centre Township, had recently become engaged and was planning to move to Florida with her future husband. Her younger sister, Jennifer Keefer, remembered her as someone with a beautiful personality, stating that “when you’re around her, you just feel better.”