HELP SAVE RODNEY FROM HIS DOG ATTACK

Hello, I’d like to introduce you to my sweet grandnephew puppy Rodney (6-year-old Dachshund mix). He is my 24 yr. old niece’s (Taylor) eldest baby, the sweetest of dogs that melts your heart with his big brown eyes, he loves belly rubs, playing with little ones, treats and cuddling up next to you on a cold winter night. He has a big Little brother named Blu, who thinks he is 5 lbs. but is 75 and loves to stand on his hind legs to give bear hugs and kisses.

On Tuesday, November 28th my niece Taylor, Rodney and Blu went for their evening walk (on leash) in the community when suddenly a neighbor’s unleashed foster dog (Merle Pitbull approx. 55 lbs.) allegedly jumped a 10-foot fence (6 days after being spade), came from behind them and grabbed Rodney by the throat/neck causing him to scream in pain and go limp, then the Merle shook him like a chew toy causing serious injuries. Taylor fell to the ground trying get Rodney free from the Merle and to keep Blu from going after her. After what seemed like an eternity but were mere seconds Tay felt she had no choice but to let Blu go otherwise Rodney would be killed. Blu jumped on top of the Merle getting her attention away from Rodney and allowing Taylor to get him free. Immediately after the incident we could see the muscles in Rodney’s throat from the open wound and drove ASAP to the vet where they assessed him with the below injuries:

Rodney sustained a 5 cm full thickness laceration on the underside of his neck and 2 - approx. 3 cm puncture wounds on the top of his neck. The wounds also had ventral pocketing ~6cm, dorsally ~2cm. the deeper puncture wound of the muscle depth ~5mm (the skin was pulled away from the underlying tissue layer underneath). His upper left canine tooth is displaced laterally and they believe he may have sustained additional injuries to his nose. He is due to have additional X-rays done for his nose and tooth which will need to be extracted next week. Despite the treatment, there is still a potential the wound(s) may become infected or the tissues may become necrotic. We will know he is in the clear by next week. We have purchased multiple medication for his care Gabapentin (for his Pain), Methocarbamol (muscle relaxer), Meloxicam (Anti-Inflammatory), Amoxicillin-Clavulanate (Antibiotic), Carprofen (another antibiotic) and IV fluids.

UPDATE: Rodney has had his second procedure and came through it with flying colors. His vessels healed and they were able to remove the drains. He now only has the one procedure remaining for his mouth and the total costs went down to approx. $4,000. We have also been able to reduce his pain medication to half of what it has been. Thanks to all of those who have donated and shared Rodney's story.

Normally the owner of the dog would be responsible for the medical bills, however, the foster parent is stating she is not responsible because the dog does not belong to her, it belongs to Animal Control (the city of Charlotte). When told we need money to save the dog, she refused to give anything. The authorities took back possession of the Merle dog and sadly she was killed the following day because of the choices her caretaker made that day. AC spoke to the neighbor and my niece and that was it, they really don’t take the time to investigate what they consider a small civil matter. They issued their report and now we have to file with the city office of Risk Management, who will perform their own investigation and then they meet to come up with their findings (months from now). From what we now understand the city can find that the foster parent is responsible, and refuse to pay anything or say they are 50% liable and only pay half. If this happens, we will have to sue her and the city together in small claims court allowing a judge to make the ultimate decision and it can go either way (approx. 9 – 12 months).

Rodney has had 2 surgery, and round of medication that we put on my credit card. But he will need one more surgery, for his tooth extraction and possibly additional injuries to his nasal cavity as well as follow up visits and additional medications.

We understand things are tight for most people right now, especially during the holidays and normally we would take care of this ourselves unfortunately right now we just don’t have the money and time is of the essence. Rodney is Taylor’s baby and she cannot lose him, if she had the money, she would spend it to save him.

We desperately need your help to save Rodney, we would appreciate anything you can give and ask if you can please forward this to friends, family, co-workers, and post-it/share.

Thank you for listening, enjoy the holidays and take care of those you love!

Sincerely,

Amanda, Taylor, Rodney & Blu