SEDLEY—A Sedley woman said she’s still recovering from a pit bull’s attack that caused her to not only break a bone, but also be out of work for nearly three months.

Heather Hoffman, 45, said she was taking her dog for a walk to the ballpark in Sedley on Jan. 15.

“A pit bull came out and jumped on my golden retriever. Lucky got between me and the other dog to protect me. The leash wrapped around my legs,” said Hoffman. In the twisting and turning, the tibia bone in her right knee snapped and broke.

“I yelled and shouted, and a young man in his 20s came out of a house — I assume he was the owner. He helped get his dog off of us, and called 911 because I was unable to walk,” she added.

Through all of this, Hoffman said, the pit bull had not actually bitten either Lucky or herself.

“My dog’s fine. Thank God. He’s fantastic. I’ll never ever take the dog for a walk in the park again. That’s really sad if you think about it.”

After consulting later with an attorney, she learned that the dog’s owner has no job or insurance.

“There’s nothing I can get,” said Hoffman about financial compensation.

A certified nurse’s aide at the Village at Woods Edge, she said she’s scheduled to return for light clerical duty in mid-April, and back to work on May 1.

Meanwhile, Hoffman said, her economic situation has been strained.

“I’ve had to borrow money to live, and contact Social Services for help. I’m on food stamps,” she said. “There were no repercussions and it’s not fair.”

But no less importance is Hoffman’s concern that such an event could occur again.

“The police have their report, but there’s nothing to stop this from happening to someone else,” she said. “I’m not asking for the dog to be put down.”

Once she’s fully on her feet, she said she intends to approach the Southampton County Board of Supervisors about creating leash laws to prevent any such future incidents.

“Can we make a law for dogs to be kept in their yards or on leashes? So lucky that it wasn’t a child that was attacked,” Hoffman said.