MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A dog owner said she is traumatized after her poodle-mix was mauled by another dog while on a walk over the weekend, and now she wants the other dog's owner to be held responsible.
Nelva Pleto told Local 10 News she had her 6-year-old dog Clover on a leash Saturday when a dog, she identified as a pit bull off, that was off its leash came running toward them.
"I tried to fight with the dog to get him off of my dog," Pleto said.
The attack almost severed one of Clover's legs.
"His arm (was) just hanging there," Pleto said. "I could see the blood and bone and everything, and I couldn't do anything because there was no one to help me."
According to a police report, Pleto's neighbor's dog got loose from its owner's yard in Miami-Dade County's Sierra Ridge community and latched on to Clover's leg.
Pleto tried to free Clover and was knocked to the ground during the chaotic moments, the report said.
"When Clover came in, he was in very unstable condition," veterinarian Dr. Jason Horgan said.
Horgan and his medical staff at Leader Animal Specialty Hospital performed an amputation on one of Clover's legs and gave the dog several stitches to save its life.
"Due to the trauma, most likely to the blood vessels that supply to the leg, we had to elect amputation. The risk of repair was too great, and we were concerned about the viability to the leg," Horgan said.
The attack doesn't sit well with Pleto, who was left with more than $5,000 in veterinarian bills.
While she said she is grateful for the animal hospital staff who saved her dog's life, she wants the owner of the dog who mauled Clover to be held responsible.
"I thought he was dead. This place did a marvelous job to save his life," she said.
Miami-Dade Animal Services said the investigation is ongoing and when they finish going through what happened, they will determine if fines will be issued.
The owner of the dog that attacked Clover could not be reached for comment.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help Clover's owner with his medical expenses.