Two women found themselves cornered and were forced to defend their lives after a pit bull ran amok and attacked them while riding their horses in Pierce County last week.

The attack happened on a popular equestrian trail Friday when Cheryl Vanackeren and her niece Vanessa Farrish were out on their usual routine. The dog, according to Farrish, came out of nowhere like a blur.

“All of a sudden, I see something black as a shadow jumping at me,” Farrish told KIRO7.

Pit Bull
A six-year-old witnessed a pit bull chomping away at her father’s face for nearly 24 hours before she was rescued. In this photo, people march with their pit bull terrier dogs in support of their animals, in Medellin, Colombia on Jan. 29, 2017. Getty Images/ Raul Arboleda

Fearing for the worse, Farrish let out a scream while the vicious canine focused its attention on. one of the horses.

Vanackeren said that the dog then grabbed her niece's foot and tried to pull her to the ground. She added that as Farrish hit a tree as she struggled to free herself from the dog's vice-like jaws.

“I crash into it, and I hit the ground.”

At this point, Vanackeren came face to face with the pit bull. Sensing that the animal was about to attack her, she raised her right arm to protect her face.

"I feel pain in my hand. It relentlessly continued to attack us. This wasn't a quick attack, it lasted over several minutes,” she continued.

Both victims also pointed to the dog attacking the other horse, Nova, and bit her several times.

Vanackeren described the pit bull “got more and more aggressive” over the duration of the attack.

Nova suffered wounds on her chest, belly and legs and had to be rushed to a local veterinarian.

“The dog was jumping up and attacking her belly,” explained Vanackeren.

She added that the animal doctor had to staple and stitch Nova's wound “to hold it together.”

Farrish escaped with her life, but the teen suffered a concussion, a bite wound on her hand and bruises all over her body.

Despite owning a pit bull, Farrish said that the incident terrified her and that she had never been attacked by a dog.

They don't blame the pit bull for what had happened, but both pointed a stern finger at its owner.

“If this dog comes here regularly, somebody else could get into this same situation we were in. I would hate for someone else to experience it. It is a horrific experience to go through," said Farrish as she extended her concern for other riders.

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