by Bill Kotowski

Pocatello animal control officer Tammy Andersen loves dogs. So much in fact, she has five at home and has worked with them for the last 13 years in Pocatello. It was on a routine call nearly a year ago that a dog changed her life forever.

On December 5th of last year Tammy Anderson responded to a call claiming a vicious dog had been moved from Power County to Pocatello. Her visit with the dog's owners went well until she attempted to photograph the dog. That's when it attacked.

Tammy Andersen: "When I opened that camera, the dog's demeanor changed. He grabbed this arm first and I know I couldn't let him have that arm. But I still hadn't realized how serious the attack would be."

Anderson was able to distance herself from the dog and call for help but not until after the damage was done. The dog bit her in several places puncturing bones and tearing arteries. It was then she realized she might bleed to death.

Tammy Andersen: "When I started getting weaker and saw the blood I was losing, I thought 'I'm not going to make it out of here.' Then you start thinking about your kids, your family and then you get angry and you want to get back into that survival mode."

Pocatello Police Officer Doug Frei was first to arrive on scene. He used his necktie and spare magazine from his gun as a make shift tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Anderson says without his quick thinking she wouldn't be here today. That sentiment was echoed a few weeks later as Frei was honored by Pocatello Police Chief JR Miller for his heroic actions but at the time Frei said he didn't feel like a hero.

Officer Douglas Frei: "I didn't do anything I don't think anyone else would have done. I told the Chief I was just trying to get rid of my necktie."

After the attack Anderson missed three months of work while she recovered. Now the mental and physical scars remind her of one more reason she has to be thankful this year.

Tammy Andersen: "I'm glad to be here. Because I didn't think I was going to make it."

Andersen says she doesn't blame the dog for the attack. In fact, she said she was a little saddened to see the dog put down. She also hopes this incident serves as a reminder that every dog needs proper training.