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ANIMAL WATCH - On January 11, 2026, the New York Post reported that, “After a beloved family Pit Bull “locked its jaws” around her leg, violently ripping her flesh and crushing bones, a mother in Tennessee had to make the difficult decision to have her leg amputated because it was literally “hanging by by a thread,” according to the New York Post.
This horrific incident occurred as Amanda Mears tried to break up a dogfight inside her home on December 6, the report states.
The 42-year-old mother said she “was preparing to take her mixed-breed dog, an American Pit Bull--American Staffordshire Terrier, named Dennis, out for a walk. Suddenly he lunged at Ralphie, an American Bully, who “escaped from a bedroom where he had been kept inside her house in Murfreesboro,” according to the report. (A photo of the dog that attack can be seen here.)
She described Dennis as being a perfect dog before the unexpected attack.
Mears, who is a health care worker, said she “tried to intervene, but then Dennis clamped onto her left leg and refused to release his grip, prompting her to choke him with her other leg to break free.”
“When he charged at my other dog, Ralphie, I got in between them, and that’s when Dennis latched onto my leg and would not let go,” she told reporters following the violent incident. She described Dennis as a perfect dog before that, and said she had rescued him.
She admitted to being “a bit scared, but I’ve broken up dog fights before, and I didn’t feel any pain because of the adrenaline,” she said. In order to save her own life, she described having to “hook my right leg and my arms around him and choke him out to get him off me.”
“I wasn’t able to stand up because my leg was basically hanging off,” Mears said.
She told reporters that, “the Pit Bull also bit her left hand and crushed the bone in her right arm.” These were additional injuries she said she didn’t even realize she’d suffered as she tried to pry her Pit Bull’s jaws loose while yelling at her 10-year-old son to stay in his room.”
She said she “finally broke free, and was rushed to a Nashville hospital. The report states that, “Doctors told her she could either amputate the limb or undergo a series of painful surgeries over the next two years.”
“RESCUED” DOGS
She also described having a total of four dogs and that she “homes canines abandoned by their previous owners.”
She said the Pit Bull that attacked also bit her left hand and crushed the bone in her right arm — injuries she didn’t even realize she’d suffered amid her chaotic attempt to pry her dog’s jaws loose.
ATTACK RESULTED IN LIFE-CHANGING AWARENESS AND INJURIES
Facebook/Amanda Mears (before Pit Bull attack)
Mears had her leg removed below the knee and underwent surgery on her arms.
“I decided to have my leg amputated because to save my leg, I’d have had to have 12 more surgeries over the next two years and I would be in constant pain.”
Mears leg was removed below the knee three days later and underwent surgery on her arms, according to a GoFundMe. She is also anticipating being fitted for a prosthetic, according to reports.
Mears with her pet dog, Ralphie, after the attack by Dennis. (Facebook/Amanda Mears.)
ATTACKING PIT BULL EUTHANIZED
After a week in the hospital, the single mom chose to euthanize Dennis to keep her son safe. However, she commented in his defense,
“Dennis has always been the sweetest dog; he’d never been aggressive before,” she told reporters. “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.”
This is a story we are hearing too often. This dog had not been abused, neglected nor was he in potential danger when he attacked.
With shelters all over the country overflowing with adult Pit Bulls that have demonstrated aggression, it is obvious there is a fundamental problem. Why are they being offered as pets to soft-hearted and unsuspecting adopters? Why does it take repeated injury and/or death for the public to see the potential danger of this breed?
And, what is the real reason this breed alone must be “saved”?
(Phyllis M. Daugherty is a former Los Angeles City employee and a long-time animal welfare advocate. A contributor to CityWatchLA, she is known for her investigative reporting on animal shelter operations, misuse of public funds, and the dangers of poorly regulated pet adoption policies. She is a strong proponent of public safety in animal control, advocating for stricter oversight of aggressive dog breeds, especially pit bulls, and for breed-specific legislation.)
