Woman mauled by dog at O.C. animal shelter awarded $450K – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Unsplash)
Orange County — Emily Moncur arrived at the Tustin Animal Care Facility on August 21, 2023, ready to photograph dogs available for adoption, a task she had handled many times before as a dedicated volunteer.[1][2] What began as routine work ended in a ferocious attack that inflicted 18 bites and exposed serious gaps in shelter safety measures. The incident, involving a dog named Blaze from an abuse case, prompted a negligence lawsuit that county officials recently settled for $450,000.[3]
A Routine Task Turns Violent
Moncur had already captured images of 14 dogs that afternoon when she turned to Blaze, a black-and-white Labrador-beagle mix.[1] She removed the dog from its kennel for photos, a standard procedure for volunteers promoting adoptions. Problems arose as she attempted to return Blaze to his enclosure. The dog lunged, pinning her against the kennel door and biting her repeatedly on the arms, legs, buttocks, and neck.
Trapped and screaming for help, Moncur endured the assault alone. The dog’s aggression intensified with her cries, leading to 96 puncture wounds in total. She lost consciousness during the attack, which staff members failed to interrupt despite being nearby. The facility’s understaffing and use of noise-cancelling devices by workers contributed to the delayed response.[2]
Negligence Claims Center on Safety Lapses
Moncur filed a lawsuit in August 2025 against Orange County and OC Animal Care, alleging gross negligence that allowed the preventable incident to occur.[1][3] Court documents highlighted several failures: shelter leaders had not warned volunteers about Blaze’s history in a cruelty case, where severe abuse by its previous owner likely fueled its behavior. Despite this, the dog had been fast-tracked for adoption and featured at a public event just days earlier…