Owner of mauled Yorkie wants handler of unleashed dog held responsible for attack
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- "I keep seeing that vision and replaying it over and over," said Veronica Jones.
It was a traumatic incident caught on surveillance video. Jones and her tiny Yorkie named Beau were in the middle of a wrestling match, fighting to make it out OK.
"It just turned into a scuffle. Everyone was on the ground," she described.
It was last week in the Cottage Grove neighborhood. Jones was taking Beau for a short walk before his in-home grooming appointment, when a neighborhood dog came charging fast.
"The dog came out of nowhere and goes straight for Beau. I'm going for Beau," she said.
Jones swings Beau around, trying to lift him up, but the aggressive dog latches onto him and pulls him down, biting his little body.
According to Jones, a good Samaritan ran towards them trying to help. The dog owner also tries to gain control of his canine, who, Jones said, was never on a leash.
"It took three adults to get them separated," she said. "The good Samaritan was eventually able to grab Beau."
Even then, the unleashed canine still tried to grab Beau, but eventually, Jones took the smaller dog from the good Samaritan and ran across the street.
"He was bloody. I had his blood all over me. I had my blood on me," she said. "His skin got torn from his body."
Beau, who is 15 years old, was partially blind before the incident. He had a five-hour surgery and had to be in the ICU for a week. He's now on a lot of medication, and his owners were on the hook for a vet bill of about $10,000.
"He suffered from pancreatitis. He had trouble breathing. He had to be on oxygen," she explained.
However, Jones is happy he's finally home, trying to heal.
"He's been with me and I've been with him for 15 years, and I'd like to keep that going," she said.
What angers her the most, she said, is the fact the dog was not on a leash. She believes this could have been prevented.
"Now I'm on a mission to find that man and his dog and make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else - a human, a child, a baby," she said.
