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Tucson: Dog Attack, $10,000 Vet Bill

by on Sep. 06, 2011, under Animal News, Dogs, Canines, Fun with Fido, Barking Encouraged, Pet Health & Safety
Tucson cattle dog subject of vicious attack

Maia - 1st day of 1st surgery

Tucson: Dog Attack, $10,000 Vet Bill

This is every dog owner’s worst fear. You and your dog are going for a walk when your dog is viciously attacked by an unrestrained dog.

The unfortunate scenario happened on August 25 to Melanie Emerson and her 8-year-old cattle dog Maia on Columbus Street between 4th Street and Texas Circle (general area between 5th Street & Speedway). The attacking dog and puppies were not micro-chipped and nobody has come forward to claim them at Pima Animal Care Center.

Veterinarian bills are now approaching $10,000 after two surgeries lasting more than seven hours with two surgeons working on Maia at the same time. The dog had to undergo a sophisticated procedure known as a wound vac, in order to shrink the size of the wound so that it will heal effectively and remove necrotic tissue. The wounds include 14-inches in length along the dog’s left hind quarter and 8-inches on her neck. Traditional surgery was not an adequate solution because of the extent of devitalized tissue in the area.

Tucson cattle dog after vicious attack

Maia's second surgery

“Before we had a chance to remove ourselves, the adult dog attacked Maia. It was a horrific sight and possibly the worst day of my life. Maia was severely ripped up and it was only through a lot of blood curdling screaming and the kind assistance of complete strangers that Maia survived the attack.”

Maia’s wounds are both physical and psychological although she is faring well. Despite all this, her extremely sweet disposition continues to shine through as she enthusiastically greets the vet hospital staff with her warm eyes and radiating smile.

Some of Melanie’s friends asked me to help get the word out to caring people and animal lovers. I myself am a dog walker and I see far too many loose dogs on my walks. Melanie’s friends are contemplating some fundraisers to help pay the vet bills. If you have any ideas or want to assist, please email Tucson.tails@yahoo.com and I’ll pass along the contacts.

You can read more about Maia’s story and her recovery updates here as well as chip in with a donation toward the vet bills if so inclined. Also, please consider linking to this blog post or sharing Melanie and Maia’s story with others.

Maia deserves to live

How do you protect yourself and your dog/s from attacks? We can all benefit by the advice. Thank you.

(Photos are courtesy of Melanie Emerson. She works at Sky Island Alliance.)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 at 3:31 am and is filed under Animal News, Dogs, Canines, Fun with Fido, Barking Encouraged, Pet Health & Safety. Tags for this post: , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • LuAnn

    How awful for this poor pooch to be so damaged.   I would love to give a little for the bill but I’m not inclined to donate to paypal chip in.  Please advise the owner that several banks in Tucson will set up accounts and take donations for such things.  When that site is posted, I will be happy to contribute.  Thank you.

    • Karyn Zoldan

      LuAnn
      About 4 years ago my friend Lizzie Mead was in a car accident where her two greyhounds suffered $14,300 worth of vet bills. (They recovered.)  Setting up a bank account was not that simple. First we tried Bank of America where Lizzie had personal & business accounts and that was a big fat NO. We were able to do it at Compass Bank. I will pass your recommendation along.
       

      • http://www.flickr.com/photos/melanieemerson/6119509746/in/set-72157627559976544 Melanie

        LuAnn,
        Thank you for your suggestion! I am looking into it, but it may be helpful (or not!) :) to note that the Chip In account, which is entirely secured through Pay Pal, is directly connected to an account at the Arizona State Credit Union.  It’s actually a way to keep Maia’s account # viable yet separate from those in the business of identity theft.  Sadly, it’s something we all have to be concerned with.  
        Thank you for your kind words of support!
        Melanie

  • Gofer

    We usually have pepper spray/bear spray with us.  It will work on both human and animal attackers.  You will probably get your own dog too, but at least you will get the attacker and potentially give yourself an out.  I see people carring sticks to somehow defend themselves, but I don’t think that would be as effective.  It is good to hear Maia is doing well.

    • Karyn Zoldan

      Gofer
      Thanks for your suggestion. This a.m. I carried my metal stick and just knew it would not be effective enough. I was with a friend once when she demonstrated her pepper spray and it got in both of our eyes…and burned like hell. We were both sort of stunned. Another friend just suggested citronella spray. 

    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/melanieemerson/6119509746/in/set-72157627559976544 Melanie

      Gofer,
      Thank you for your support and ideas.  The TPD officer indicated that pepper spray would not have been effective. I did not ask about bear spray which has since been suggested by several others. I will look into it!
      Regards,
      Melanie

  • Anne W.

    I tend to agree with LuAnn as to donating to actually a credit union account (vs a bank) rather than a Pay Pal account.  I can’t afford to donate much but want it ALL to go to the dog’s bills.  Best wishes to Maia and Melanie.  Thank you.

  • Daniel

    Arizona especially seems to be a prime place for irresponsible pet owners.  I don’t own a dog, only indoor cats, but if I did own a dog, I would seriously take a gun with me and make short work of any unrestrained dog attacking mine.

  • Steve C.

    Citronella won’t stop a determined attacking dog.  It did ward off a rough-acting dog who was after my spaniel, but I am sure he wasn’t as serious an attacker as the dog who mauled Maia. Even pepper spray carries a warning that it won’t stop all dogs. I don’t know about bear spray. I try to avoid places where I know there are violent dogs, and I am thinking about upgrading from citronella to at least pepper spray, maybe even bear spray.  Anyone had success with pepper or bear spray?

  • http://www.greytescape.com GE

    Thank God I’ve never had to use it but, I do carry bear spray every day.  Hoping that it will never need to be used.  Maia will have many wishes for healing sent her way from our home…..  I hope they find the owners so that this poor woman can try and get some assistance with these bills!

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/melanieemerson/6119509746/in/set-72157627559976544 Melanie

    Thank you everyone for your suggestions and your warm wishes for Maia’s recovery. I really appreciate it.
    Melanie

  • Eff

    We had to raise money for our dog this summer too, so we want to return Tucson’s kindness towards us to you and Maia.  Here’s our story:

     http://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2011/07/01/help-an-abused-poodle-get-the-surgery-it-needs
     
    http://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2011/07/21/an-update-on-franklin-the-poodle-you-saved

    • Karyn Zoldan

      Thanks for sharing. I’m glad you were able to reach out to the community and your dog is on the mend.
      I hope the same can happen to Maia.

  • Diana

    I have a small boat fog horn that i am carrying now – hoping possibly a loud noise would startle an attacker…..?  has anyone tried this?
     

  • dubv

    Related to the efficacy of pepper spray….with certain fighting breeds that are game bred (utterly tenacious in battle) it is quite common in news stories that pepper spray, bear spray, and blunt objects will not dissuade them from their target.  Unfortunately, you need to be ready to disrupt the attacking dog’s central nervous system or make it bleed out.  If you don’t want a gun, I suggest a sturdy knife of adequate blade length as a last ditch choice.  Carry the pepper spray too, but be ready for the worst.  Aggressive dogs off their owners property and not in control have no rights, remember that.

  • David Davidson

    Surgery? On animals? Waste of money. Just put the stupid dog to sleep.

  • Ines

    This is the scenario of my worst nightmare.  I hope you and Maia heal quickly both physically and mentally.

  • Leslie Ann Epperson

    I hope you ignore the creepy David Davidson.  I would do the same thing. Obviously David is one of those bizarre, arrogant humans that thinks humans are not “animals”, and has never known the incredible bond that can develop between humans and dogs. Lucky for me, I do know! All my best to both of you, and CHIPIN gets nothing, all the money goes to Melanie, so if that your worry, give her some money already!

  • panchovilla

    It’s so unfortunate that some cities and city council members, don’t apply stricter policies regarding stray, loose, running at large or public nuissance dogs. As usual, they don’t want to piss off their constiguents. The same people that like to be heard, but not seen when it comes to animal issues. There should be a mandated state policy that states that all cats and dogs will be vaccinated, licensed, micro chipped and spayed/neutered. If the owner does not want his animal to be altered, they should not complain about having to pay a yearly fee of $50 - $100 per animal. Along w/the fee, cats should not be looked upon as free roaming. If outside, they should be on a leash and under the control of it’s owner. No different than walking a dog on a leash. There should also be a limit  of 3 – 4 animals allowed per household. Consideration should be given to the size of the yard, resident’s age – physical/mental condition, etc.

  • http://www.fabianslaw.com Richard C. Andrade

    On July 20th, Fabian’s Law went into effect which addresses the issue on “Aggressive Dogs”.  It is now a Misdemeanor 1 when a dog attacks a domestic animal.  To learn more log onto http://www.fabianslaw.com.

    • http://tucsoncitizen.com/karynzoldan karyn zoldan

      Richard
      Thanks so much for commenting. I see that you and your wife are responsible for Fabian’s Law. Thank you for not giving up. I will be contacting you as I want to write more about this.
      In the case of Maia, the dog didn’t have tags and no owner has been found.

  • http://www.tony-venuti.com Tony Venuti

    Life, you know all…it happens….It’s a Dog….lets all get a “life.”

  • Vigilant

    My heart goes out to Maia and Melanie in this VERY difficult time. I wish her a quick and safe recovery.

    Having said that, this is exactly why I carry a firearm with me when I walk my dog. I hope the day never comes where I have to use it but if it does, I know my dog and I will be safe. I know many people hate the idea of firearms but you can’t deny their effectiveness in the right hands. I will say this, if you do decide to carry a gun, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get proper training. That does not mean spending an hour at the range once a month, although that can’t hurt. I strongly recommend taking a CCW class, even though they are not required anymore. You will learn a LOT about different scenarios and when it’s legal to use your firearm and when it’s not. You would be surprised.. and scared to see just how many people think they can use their firearm for any old reason. Lastly, I strongly recommend getting  some one on one tactical training. It’s not cheap, but the training can save your life and is FAR more valuable than only going to the range. There is a WORLD of difference between practicing at the local range, where everything is calm and controlled, to using the firearm to protect yourself in a real life or death situation.

    Some of you may argue that firearms aren’t the answer for many different reasons, but you can’t deny that this situation would more than likely not happened or at least the damage to Maia would not have been nearly as sever if Melanie was carrying a firearm and had the proper training to use it. 

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