San Francisco woman who narrowly survived dog attack relives the horror: ‘I kept hearing the crunching sound’

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A San Francisco woman who survived a brutal pit bull attack said she feared she would die as the dog repeatedly mauled her, leaving her with severe injuries to both arms.

Amber King, who is homeless, told ABC7 San Francisco that she had been waiting for city housing in the Tenderloin neighborhood on September 8 when a man she barely knew asked her to watch his dog. King said she agreed to help and tied the pit bull to a post.

Seconds later, the dog broke loose and charged at her, she said. The animal pinned King to the ground and attacked her for an estimated 10 to 15 minutes before police arrived.

“I was going to die. If I didn't fight, I was going to die. I kept hearing the crunching sound of the dog biting me," King told ABC7 San Francisco. "The dog was walking over me back and forth like a lion ."

King said she used her arms to shield herself during the attack, suffering severe injuries that required multiple surgeries and a weeklong hospital stay. Police and animal control officers eventually arrived and used a catchpole to restrain the dog, which later died at the scene, SFGate reports. It's unclear what injuries the animal sustained during or after the attack.

"That was excruciating, and the sound. People were just saying, 'Oh my God, her hands,' and I could see the blood everywhere," King told the outlet.

The attack has left King with significant loss of mobility in both arms. She said she is beginning to regain some movement in the fingers of her right hand, but her left hand remains severely damaged.

"This one. My left hand is completely damaged. Every nerve, every bone," King said.

She said even small movements in her right-hand fingers remain difficult.

"Starting off with baby steps. You know my fingers a little bit because they look like they move easily. They don't. It's very difficult," she said.

King said the physical injuries are only part of her recovery. She continues to relive the attack and has struggled to sleep because of nightmares.

When asked whether she had been able to sleep, King replied: "No, I have nightmares."

Despite the trauma, King said she is grateful to have survived and credited the people who helped her during the attack, including a bystander named Ashley. The two later spoke by phone.