On July 9, my son and I were walking our small dog Coconut around our block. On the doorstep of another house a large black dog, possibly a Mastiff/lab mix, was sitting, unleashed and unattended. He ran across the lawn toward Coco, who was wagging his tail and looking friendly. The dog lunged at him, grabbed him in his mouth and shook him like a toy. As soon as he let go I fell on Coco and scooped him up. He was barking and in pain. The black dog also chased another nearby dog, who happily was not caught.

Coconut sustained a severely broken femur, just at the hip joint where it cannot be securely splinted, as well as comparatively minor puncture wounds. He needed to be kept in hospital until surgery to repair the joint, as they stated he was in too much pain to be managed at home. He's been there 3 nights awaiting surgery, away from his new home, which is adding significantly to the cost of his medical care.

As no owner was present at the attack and Animal Control has not yet investigated, I strongly suspect I will not be able to locate the owner and ask them to cover Coconut's medical care. I'm a working single mom and this is well out of my means. I know times are hard for everyone right now, but if you have anything you can spare to help us pay Coconut's medical bills, we will greatly appreciate it. Thank you for any help you can give.

Coconut is only 6 months old. We rescued him just over a month ago from the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. He's super friendly and outgoing, and always assumes other dogs are as well.