A SICKENING dog attack in Horsham has left a woman injured and fearing what might happen next.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Tammy Brazendale and her miniature pomeranian Rocco were attacked while on their morning walk along the Wimmera River earlier this month.
Miss Brazendale said she decided to take a different route to her normal track, and walked underneath the Wimmera River Bridge.
It was there two staffordshire bull terriers approached her and Rocco, and attacked.
Miss Brazendale said the tan bull terrier latched onto Rocco straight away.
“It had Rocco in its mouth, shaking him like a ragdoll,” she said.
Miss Brazendale tried to fight off the dog, and had her hands in its mouth, trying to pull it away from her dog.
She said an elderly lady with a walking stick and two 19-year-olds helped get the dogs away from Rocco.
“The old lady with the stick was hitting the dog,” she said.
“Rocco doesn’t like water at all, but somehow he managed to jump in the water and it just stopped the dog in its tracks.
“One of the 19-year-olds got in the water and got Rocco out.
“After the process of rolling around trying to get it off Rocco I have a scar on my knee, and my hands have bite wounds,” she said.
“They are healing now.”
Rocco was left with multiple scars and wounds, and his two back legs were damaged, causing him to limp.
Miss Brazendale rushed him to the vet, where he stayed for five hours. Rocco received pain killers and stitches.
Miss Brazendale said she and the people who came to help were traumatised by the incident.
“It was horrible, I could hardly speak,” she said.
“I was having a really bad panic attack. I only got to sleep at 4.30am that morning – I just kept re-living everything that had happened.
“If those people weren’t there Rocco wouldn’t be here, and I don’t know what would have happened to me.
“He’s our baby.
“I am very thankful.”
Miss Brazendale reported the incident to the police and went to Wimmera Medical Centre to get a tetanus shot and treatment for her hands.
“The thing that scares me is the next person might not be so lucky,” she said.
“If I had left Rocco by himself to get a stick, he would have been gone.”
Miss Brazendale urged people to be cautious.
Friend Amy Taylor has created a gofundme page to help with Miss Brazendale Rocco’s medical bills.
She said people could search for Help Tammy and Rocco at www.gofundme.com.