MILWAUKIE, OR (KPTV) -
A Milwaukie woman fought off a raccoon to save her dog, but ended up in the hospital herself Sunday.
It happened at about noon in the 11000 block of SE 34th Avenue in Milwaukie.
The victim, Bridie Olinger, says her dog was playing outside when it spotted a raccoon in the bushes and tried to fight it off.
PHOTOS: Raccoon attack
Olinger says she didn't think twice about the consequences; instead, she just rushed into the middle of the fight to protect her dog.
"I kept trying to kick and punch the raccoon, and then I tried to find a stick to beat it off, but when I couldn't I stuck my hands in," said Olinger.
The raccoon fought back hard, biting Olinger on her arms, hands and legs several times, before running off into a neighboring yard,
"The pain hit me and I started crying. I saw all of the blood dripping and I got scared, I've never bled that much at one point," said Olinger.
Olinger was rushed to the hospital, where doctors bandaged her up, gave her some heavy antibiotics to fight off any infections and let her go home.
Doctors say her injuries are so bad, she won't be able to use her hands properly for more than a week.
But Olinger says her injuries are a small price to pay for possibly saving her dog's life, and something she'd do again in a heartbeat.
"He would die for me, and I would do the same for him, that's a natural instinct, a mother's instinct. But, I might think to grab something, before I use my hands again," said Olinger.
Milwaukie police have set a live trap in hopes of capturing the raccoon if it returns tonight. If the capture is successful, they will turn the raccoon over to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for evaluation.
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