Nanny defends 3-year-old boy from 'savage' dog attack

COLORADO -- A local babysitter is being called a hero after withstanding a vicious dog attack in order to protect a three year old boy.

Sharon Molloy was babysitting 3-year-old Jack Melichar, and his 8-year-old brother, on Thursday morning when two black Briard dogs came up on the deck of the home.

“(Sharon and the boys) went out on the deck and tried to get the two black dogs to go home,” said Amy Melichar, Jackson’s mother. “Jack was running, and while Jack was running, one of the black dogs went after Jack and started attacking him.”

Sharon intervened by trying to pull the dog off of Jack and that’s when it began latching on to her.

She struggled as the dog pulled her across a neighbors yard. A short time later, two neighbors tried to intervene. One used a hose, the other used a rake.

“Still, the dog just wasn’t letting up,” Melichar said. “He was being relentless to the two.”

By the time firefighters arrived the dogs were back with their owner, but the damage was done.

“This was a pretty savage dog attack,” said Lieutenant Lisa Pinto with the Genessee Fire Department.

 

 

 

  

Sharon severe bite wounds, exposing bones on both her arm and leg.

Jack also suffered some deep wounds to an arm and a leg, but is out of the hospital and beginning to feel better.

“He has about 36 stitches on his left leg,” Melichar said. “The surgeon, the sheriff, everyone said she saved your baby’s life.”

“I think she was absolutely a hero,” Pine said. “Every indication and the state of the scene when we got there… she saved his life. I’ll believe that every day.”

Jeffco Animal Control currently has the two dogs on quarantine for 10 days; After that, the dogs could be euthanized.

 

 

 

The owner of the two dogs did not respond to FOX31 Denver and hasn’t reached out to any of the victims. Jeffco Animal Control is pursing charges of Unlawful Ownership of Dangerous Animals against him.

Sharon spent four days in the hospital, but is now back home and recovering. She told FOX31 she was “grateful to help” and simply “doing my job.”

There is now a GoFundMe.com page set up to help her pay for medical expenses.

“We’ve known her for only two weeks and she just kept protecting this baby and putting herself in front of the dog and protecting the baby,” Melichar said.

(Fox31 Denver - Aug 18, 2015)