Guide Dog Owner Recovers After Dog Attack

A woman who uses a guide dog because she's visually impared injured her ankle when the dog was attacked last week by a larger dog that slipped its leash in downtown Darien, police said.

Amy Dixon of Greenwich, who works in the restaurant industry and is known as "The Blind Sommelier," was walking with her dog on at 3:30 p.m. Monday, March 25 on Squab Lane at the Darien Railroad Station when the attack occurred.

Her dog wasn't injured, but Dixon was when she tried to separate the dogs, although she refused medical help at the scene and said she'd see her own doctor, Darien police said.

"I've been in a cast and a wreck for over a week," Dixon said recently on Facebook. "I'm a bundle of nerves every time I leave the house, but I suppose that's to be expected. I start physical therapy tomorrow for my ankle, and have been very grateful that I can at least swim to keep my fitness up while I'm injured."

The owner of the attacking dog told police that while she was walking her two dogs on leashes, one somehow got loose and attacked the guide dog, police said.

The Darien Police animal control officer then took over the investigation and later issued an infraction ticket to the owner of the attacking dog, charging the woman with allowing a dog to roam.

"Elvis is doing great," Dixon wrote about her guide dog. "The trainer from Guiding Eyes came out and gave us a lot of good exercises and things to focus on to be sure that he can stay focused on his job since the attack."