Heather Pingel Bowler, Wisconsin mother has her arms ripped off while saving 4 year old son from pit bull attack only to die 8 days later from her injuries.
A Wisconsin mother has dies following a December 8 dog attack which involved her having both her arms ripped apart by a pit bull while trying to save her 4-year-old son from the animal only to later die from her injuries.
Heather Ann Pingel, 35, was attacked at her home in Bowler, northwest of Milwaukee, on Dec. 8.
The boy’s father arrived to find Heather lying on the bathroom floor, with the mother, saying ‘I have no arms, and I’m dying,’ according to Pingel’s sister, Shannon Pingel, the Wausau Daily Herald reported.
Heather’s son was found sitting on a chair in the dining room with blood pouring from his leg.
The mother of two had spent a week in the hospital before fatally succumbing to her injuries on Thursday, her family said. She suffered kidney failure and had had both her arms amputated.
‘We don’t know how long she was in there fighting him off,’
Pingel’s son, Damion, received 70 stitches to his leg after being bitten by the dog and was later released from the hospital.
The family believes the attack unfolded after Pingel found the dog biting her son. The pitbull likely turned on her as she tried to shield the boy from further injuries, family members said.
Shane Bernarde, Pingel’s boyfriend and the father of the injured boy, returned home to find the dog still attacking the mom in the bathroom.
‘We don’t know how long she was in there fighting him off,’ Shannon Pingel said.
Bernarde, who was also bitten during the ordeal, told police that he pulled the dog off Pingel, dragged it out to the yard and shot it.
Pingel’s injuries were so severe she was unable to give authorities a full account of what happened before she died.
Her sister said the dog had previously shown signs of aggression.
‘My sister has the biggest heart for animals and just couldn’t get rid of it. … Her heart was too big, and they thought they could fix him,’ Shannon said.
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to raise money to pay for Pingel’s medical expenses and funeral.
‘A dog attacked their son and she did what any amazing mother would and sacrificed herself to save him,’ Shannon Pingel wrote. ‘He is doing good — a lot of stitches, but nothing too serious. My sister was not so lucky; she lost her life saving her son.’
The page notes that Pingel’s boyfriend lost his job a day before the attack.
A funeral service will be held on Thursday, December 23.
