Rocket's Rescue: Surgery After Pitbull Attack

Hello, my name is Patty, and I'm raising funds for my dog Rocket's medical care after he and I were attacked on Superbowl Sunday by a pitbull.

Rocket is a 7 or 8 year old rescue chihuahua-mix who is around 12 pounds. On that Sunday, after the halftime show of the Super Bowl, I decided to take Rocket for a quick walk in the park. Upon reaching the park, we were alerted by another person that there was a dog running around, attacking other dogs and that we should go the other way. There wasn't much time to react, because then the pitbull began to charge us from the middle of the field. I scrambled to pick Rocket up, but Rocket leapt out of my arms to get away from the other dog. I tried desperately to pull up on the leash to get Rocket away from the pitbull in any way I could (even though that yanked Rocket up by his neck), but the pitbull latched onto Rocket's mid-section with its powerful jaws and thrashed him. All I could think of as I screamed and scrambled to get Rocket away was that he was killing my dog and that he was dying. It was the most disturbing and most aggressive thing I have ever witnessed, and completely unprovoked. I was finally somehow able to get Rocket up into my arms and the pitbull kept lunging up at me, almost climbing me, to get at Rocket as I struggled desperately to hold him higher and higher out of the pitbull’s reach. Rocket wriggled and snapped at whatever he could out of self-defense. I kept turning away from the pitbull as he pursued us. The entire time I was shrieking for help because I thought it would never end; the Ring camera footage from neighbors is horrifying to listen to. After what felt like forever, the pitbull must have become distracted by an easier target because he left and I was able to get away and run home.

After Rocket was inside and I did a quick once-over for any bleeding, I went back outside, called 911, and ran around telling anyone who had just arrived in the park with their dogs to go home immediately for safety. All the while two civilians were able to somehow catch and pin the dog down in the middle of the park and restrain him until the cops came. The cops were preparing to shoot the dog on site if necessary (which I could not bear, even though he had just brutally attacked Rocket), but thankfully animal control came quickly. There was no owner on site, and no name tag to identify the dog. He was microchipped and they were able to ascertain that he at least was up to date on his rabies vaccine. There have not been any updates about the owner as of yet.

All-in-all, at least 4 dogs were attacked, and 2 people were injured as collateral damage. The other three dogs ended up going to the ER with deep lacerations to their bodies and fur ripped out. Out of the people, one man ended up with a bite to his chin area since he was trying to protect his dog. I was the other person.

I ended up with a nip on my calf that was also bruised and swollen, and I took antibiotics from the ER, just to be safe. Rocket bit my hands and scratched my face as he was trying to escape the pitbull, so I had some cuts there as well.

Rocket on the other hand, got the worst of it all and was in need of surgery. There were hidden bites all along his back and there was tons of inflammation and bruising. Two hernias developed on Rocket's belly as a result of the pitbull's teeth chomping down on his mid-section and being thrashed. He stayed at the Vet ER Sunday night, and had surgery on that Tuesday to repair his hernia. This was a wildly traumatic Sunday, and an extremely stressful few days with having to miss work to handle all of this. Taking Rocket on short walks during his recovery has been stress-inducing because I'm hyper-sensitive to my surroundings and any potential threats. I've been constantly reliving the event, and even worrying what might happen to the pitbull even though he was the perpetrator!

I used to be someone who would defend pitbulls and say they were misunderstood. I'm now very conflicted because they are a very real liability. It makes sense now why certain apartment buildings will not allow them. I believe that more awareness needs to be out there that if you want to own a large and/or powerful dog (no matter the breed), there HAS to be tons of formal and strict training, and you must be consistent. They are so dangerous if not trained properly just for the sheer fact of their strength of body and jaws. This dog was even neutered and he was this aggressive. Who's to say what will trigger a dog in the moment, even if, as the owner, you may think you have the sweetest dog ever. My little chihuahua has zero chance to survive against a huge dog that is highly aggressive, off-leash, and without an owner. Thankfully I was there to pick him up, but that put me in danger as well.

As a result of all of this, Rocket's medical fees have become a HUGE unexpected financial burden, and anything that you feel compelled to give, would be immensely helpful and so very much appreciated. Four months ago, Raul and I got married and had our honeymoon, so this is not something that we were prepared to pay for at this time. Even if you are not able to give, thank you for reading this and please help spread more awareness of this issue. Please be safe out there!