Tennessee mom loses leg after pit bull mauls her during dog fight in her home

The incident occurred Dec. 10 inside a Murfreesboro residence, where Amanda Mears, 42, was preparing to take one of her dogs outside. During that time, another dog escaped from a bedroom, triggering a sudden confrontation between the animals, the Mirror reported.

As the dogs began fighting, Mears attempted to intervene. One of the dogs, identified as a pit bull mix named Dennis, suddenly turned on her and clamped onto her left leg, refusing to release his grip.

“When he charged at my other dog, Ralphie, I got in between them, and that’s when Dennis latched on to my leg and would not let go,” Mears told the outlet.

Mears said she was forced to use her own body to choke the animal in order to break free. She said adrenaline masked the pain as the attack unfolded, and she focused on stopping the dog while yelling for her 10-year-old son to stay in his room.

“I was a bit scared, but I’ve broken up dog fights before, and I didn’t feel any pain because of the adrenaline,” she said. “I ended up having to hook my right leg and my arms around him and choked him out to get him off me.”

During the attack, Mears also suffered multiple additional injuries, including bites to her left hand and crushed bones in her right arm. She said she did not immediately realize the extent of those injuries amid the chaos inside the home.

After breaking free, Mears was rushed to a hospital in Nashville. Doctors determined her leg was too severely damaged to be saved. According to the report, physicians told her she could either face a series of more than a dozen surgeries over the next two years or opt for amputation, reports the New York Post.

“I wasn’t able to stand up because my leg was basically hanging off,” she said.

Mears chose amputation, saying the alternative would have left her in constant pain with no guarantee of recovery.

Three days later, her leg was amputated below the knee, and she underwent surgery on her arms. A GoFundMe was later launched to assist with mounting medical expenses. She is expected to be fitted for a prosthetic.

After spending roughly a week in the hospital, Mears made the decision to euthanize the pit bull involved in the attack.

“Dennis has always been the sweetest dog; he’d never been aggressive before,” she said. “I decided to have Dennis put down, which was hard. He was my best friend, and I raised him from two weeks old. It was a decision that hurt, but it was not a difficult decision.”