Nebraska: French Mastiff mix that attacked and seriously injured 80-year-old woman euthanized, Animal Control says

NEBRASKA -- A woman and her little dog were attacked by a mastiff in Lincoln Sunday. We spoke to neighbor Stewart Shepard, who woke to screams and ran outside to see the terrifying scene.

"The dog had knocked her down and it was on her, he said. Her dog was trying to protect her and it turned out in a bad situation for both."

Shepard said the woman was down on the sidewalk, a deep gash in her leg. Her little spaniel was caught in the jaws of a mastiff.

Two women nearby tried to help. A passerby stopped his car on 48th, jumped out, and fought to get the mastiff to drop the spaniel, which witnesses say had tried to defend its owner.

"Just lucky that enough people stopped to get the dog to stop or else it would probably been a lot worse," Shepard said.

Shepard says the spaniel's injuries looked serious. Animal Control rushed it to the emergency vet, but no word yet on whether or not it's going to be okay. It all went down across the street from Leffler Middle School.

"It's lucky that it wasn't a weekday where kids would have been out here going to school," he said "That would have been even worse. Because the dog was definitely on attack mode. He wasn't just after the dog. He was after anybody and anything that came close to it."

For now, Animal Control is putting the dog in a 10-day quarantine until they figure out who owned the mastiff, and how it got loose.

The dog bite was very serious, but police say it wasn't life threatening and the woman will likely recover. The incident is still under investigation. We'll bring you more details as they become available.

UPDATE 1

"It was the very last thing I expected, to be riding in an ambulance down 48th street when I got out of bed yesterday morning,” said Lincoln resident Marilyn Dorf.

Dorf, 80, said she was walking her dog near 48th and C in Lincoln Sunday when a very large, loose dog starting running towards them

"I remember he came at Ollie first and I was yelling at him to get away and he didn't, and I started yelling and screaming," she said.

The mastiff turned on Marilyn, biting her multiple times on her right leg.

"He went to my leg as if it was a great big slab of beef and grabbed a hold of that and bit and bit and bit and bit and didn't want to give up and he knocked me on the ground," she said.

She then described seeing the bigger dog turn and grab Ollie, her beloved Springer Spaniel, in its jaws.

"I was afraid from where I was lying on the sidewalk, I was afraid he was going for Ollie's throat," she said.

Luckily, most of the damage was to the spaniel's shoulder. Several people came to Marilyn's rescue, wrestling Ollie out of the mastiff's mouth and holding the bigger dog at bay until animal control arrived.

"I was just thinking what is happening to my dear little dog."

The whole experience left Marilyn shaken.

"Well it was really a traumatic thing and I was in terrible pain."

Marilyn was taken to the hospital with a serious leg injury, and underwent surgery right away. She's going to be okay, but has to go back in for one more surgery Tuesday.

She says she's just thankful that her little friend is recovering after a surgery of his own.

"And they told me this morning that he's kind of groggy," she said. "To be expected. I can't help but wonder what that little dog thinks."

As for the mastiff, no word yet on who the owner is, or how it got loose. For now, animal control has it in quarantine.

UPDATE 2 

The woman's injuries have not required part of her leg to be amputated as medics initially feared, Lincoln Police Capt. Bob Farber said Tuesday.

So her leg didn't have to be amputated, but her injuries are clearly pretty bad for doctors to even THINK this would be necessary. You'll keep your leg, but you will need 10 more surgeries and you'll never really be able to walk with it again.

Animal control cited the attacking dog's owner, who surrendered the dog to the agency Monday before it was euthanized, Animal Control Manager Steve Beal said.

Although Animal Control initially reported the attacking dog to be a pit bull, they have now said that the dog was a French Mastiff mix.

French Mastiff mix... mixed with what? 

OLLIE, HER SWEET SPRINGER SPANIEL

Lincoln, NE: Ollie the Springer Spaniel
JULY 20TH, 2015
Posted in: Facilities, Lincoln SLV, VHS Community News

Fur people bring much love to the world – and Ollie the Springer Spaniel brings that love to Southlake Rehabilitation & Care Center.

Ollie has allowed his person Marilyn Dorf to join him at Southlake on alternating Thursdays since the opening of Southlake as well as prior at Village Manor.

Marilyn shared a poem she wrote about Ollie’s visits – a portion includes:

“I think of the smiles
that would not have been smiled
but for Ollie’s visit
Ollie with his long dishrag ears
his starlit eyes
tail wagging 90 miles per”

Quality Life:  We will create a living environment that radiates love, peace, spiritual contentment, dignity and safety, while encouraging personal independence.

Submitted By:
Gayle Resh, Life Enrichment Coordinator
Southlake Rehabilitation & Care Center, Lincoln NE

(KLKN - Oct 18, 2016)