Still Packing A Punch At 73
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Puppy and Ida Hervey continue to enjoy their daily walks despite surviving a frightening dog attack last month.
WATER VALLEY – At 73, Ida Hervey never imagined she would have to rely on boxing lessons from her childhood to defend herself against an attacking dog. But that’s exactly what happened Sept. 15 when two dogs charged toward Hervey and her companion, Puppy, during their regular morning walk on Martin Street.
One dog grabbed her leg while the other chased Puppy, forcing Hervey to release the leash and defend herself. Backed up along the bank of Town Creek, she searched for a piece of riprap, but couldn’t pull it loose. With little else available, she remembered the boxing lessons her father had taken her to as a youngster at the Water Valley school.
Hervey assumed a fighting stance, cellphone in hand.
“Come on,” she recalled telling the dog when the attack was inevitable.
When it lunged, she struck it hard on the snout with her phone. The animal backed away, then came at her again.
She struck it a second time.
The dog eventually turned and joined its companion to chase Puppy, leaving Hervey bleeding from wounds to her arm and leg.
“I’m 73 years old, it could have been the other way,” she said.
Hervey’s encounter was one of two dog attacks reported that week, prompting city officials to expedite the hiring of a new animal control officer.
Now, nearly a month later, animal control officer Justin Smith is asking residents to help him address the city’s ongoing problem with stray dogs.
Smith said efforts to capture the animals have been complicated by residents who have tripped traps or left food at locations where stray dogs gather.
The feeding sites make it difficult to lure dogs into humane traps because the animals already have a reliable food source.
Smith is asking residents to stop feeding strays and allow animal control efforts to work.
Dogs captured by the city will be taken to Second Chance Animal Alliance, where efforts will be made to locate their owners. Animals that are not reclaimed will be available for adoption.
Hervey is familiar with the organization. She adopted Puppy from Second Chance in August 2025, and the two have been walking together twice a day ever since.
During the attack, Hervey said she tried to protect Puppy by pulling him behind her. But when one dog attacked her and another pursued Puppy, she was forced to let go of his leash.
A passing motorist stopped to help Hervey after the dogs ran off. Bleeding heavily, she used paper towels and her clothing to help cover her wounds before accepting a ride home.
When she arrived, she heard Puppy crying nearby. Her companion had made his way back toward home, but the two dogs were still pursuing him.
Hervey said she encountered the animals again near her house before they finally left as she fired a warning shot.
Despite her injuries, she took Puppy to a veterinarian in Batesville for treatment of bite wounds before seeking emergency medical care for herself in Oxford. She received stitches for injuries to her arm and leg.
Hervey believes the dog that attacked her was also involved in a second attack near First Baptist Church two days later, when Andi Epes was bitten. Epes appeared before the Board of Aldermen on Sept. 17 to urge action on the city’s problem with aggressive dogs.
Aldermen met again the following day and hired Smith as animal control officer, agreeing to pay him $500 per month plus $25 for each dog captured.
The city has a contract with Second Chance Animal Alliance to house captured dogs.
Hervey, meanwhile, has not abandoned her daily walks.
She credits her faith with helping her remain calm during the attack and said she is thankful that both she and Puppy survived.
“God is so good,” she said.
