Jump to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Surly Horns

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.
Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business & Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Advertise... Tailgate Donations

Featured Replies

Mom Loses Leg After Pet Attack Inside Her Own Home

January 11, 2026 by David Jones

A Tennessee mother had part of her left leg amputated after one of her own dogs mauled her during a fight between pets inside her home on Dec. 10, she said in recent interviews. The woman, identified as 42-year-old Amanda Mears, described a frantic struggle to free herself before paramedics took her to a hospital.

Mears said she was hurt while trying to separate her mixed American pit bull–American Staffordshire dog, Dennis, from her rescue dog, Ralphie, an American bully. In accounts shared this week, she said Dennis latched onto her leg and would not let go, leaving the limb “basically hanging off.” Doctors offered two paths: an amputation or a long recovery that could require about a dozen operations over two years. Mears said she chose amputation to avoid prolonged surgeries and constant pain. She has since been discharged and is preparing for a prosthetic fitting while adapting to injuries to a hand and arm.

Mears recalled the sequence beginning as she prepared to take Dennis outside. She said Ralphie slipped out of a bedroom, sparking a clash in a hallway. When she stepped between them, Dennis swung toward her and clamped down above the ankle, she said. With her 10-year-old son in the house, Mears told him to stay in his room and called for help as she tried to pry the dog’s jaws open. “I ended up having to hook my right leg and my arms around him and choked him out to get him off of me,” she said in one account. She said she did not feel pain at first, attributing that to adrenaline, but realized she could not stand and saw how severe the damage was.

She said first responders arrived after neighbors reported sirens on the street and saw emergency lights outside the home. Mears was taken to a hospital, where she said surgeons assessed deep tissue damage and a crush injury to her right arm along with bites to her left hand. After discussing risks and timelines, she opted for a below-the-knee amputation. She said she weighed the medical advice against day-to-day realities at home with a child, adding that she feared months of procedures would limit her ability to work and move. She later posted that she was “up and mobile with help to use the restroom” and that the house was getting easier to navigate as she practiced stairs with assistance.

Mears said Dennis had not shown previous aggression toward people. Even so, she said she made the decision to have him euthanized after the attack, citing her son’s safety. She said she had raised Dennis since he was two weeks old and described the decision as painful but necessary. Ralphie, the other dog involved in the initial scuffle, remained with the family. She said she was coordinating follow-up medical visits and working with friends to manage routines at home while she recovers. She also thanked supporters who contributed to an online fundraiser, which she said would help cover medical bills, mobility equipment and a future prosthetic.

The attack occurred during the holiday period, when many clinics and offices operate on reduced schedules. Mears said the timing added hurdles for scheduling consults and lining up home support in the first weeks after surgery. In a brief update late last month, she said the biggest challenge was her injured right hand, which limited what she could carry or lift during physical therapy. She said occupational therapists were teaching techniques for daily tasks, from opening doors to navigating steps with crutches. Friends organized meal trains and rides, while relatives rotated nights at the house. A neighbor said crews parked along the block the night of the attack and that tape briefly marked part of the yard as medics worked.

Officials had not released a formal police narrative as of the weekend. Accounts of the incident have relied on Mears’ statements in media interviews and on social updates shared by friends. The dog’s breed mix, the nature of the leg injury and the treatment decisions all come from her description of events and hospital discussions. Any official incident report, if filed, would typically include call logs, responder notes and medical routing. Local authorities often wait to release those details until case numbers are assigned and privacy reviews are complete. There has been no indication of criminal charges tied to the incident; such cases are uncommon when an owner is the victim and there is no allegation of a dog-at-large offense.

Dog attacks inside homes rarely generate public records beyond medical billing unless a criminal or civil claim is filed. When they do, investigators typically document where the bite occurred, whether any animals were seized and whether a quarantine or rabies observation was required. Mears’ case has drawn attention because of the severity of the injuries and her description of the split-second choice she faced. She said surgeons told her that limb salvage could involve multiple operations, grafts and an extended rehabilitation with uncertain outcomes. By contrast, an amputation would be immediately life-altering but could offer a clearer path to prosthetic training and mobility once wounds healed.

Coverage has also focused on the two dogs’ histories and the dynamics inside a small home. Mears said the animals lived separately at times and that she kept Ralphie in a bedroom when she took Dennis out. She said a door opened unexpectedly that day, and the dogs moved toward each other quickly. Trainers and veterinarians commonly emphasize that even familiar dogs can redirect during a high-arousal fight, and bite experts note that owners are often injured while intervening. Mears’ accounts describe classic redirection: a dog turning from its canine target to the nearest moving object—her leg—when tension peaks. She said she had broken up scuffles before but had never experienced anything close to the force or duration of this bite.

Medical and rehabilitation steps are now the near-term focus. Mears said she is working with specialists to fit a prosthetic once swelling subsides and sutures heal, a process that can take weeks. Early sessions include strengthening hip and core muscles to prepare for a prosthetic foot and ankle. Because her right arm was injured, therapists are adapting routines and providing aids for balance until grip strength returns. She said she hopes to resume limited work duties as she gains independence at home. Friends have posted that her goal is to walk with a prosthetic as soon as practical and to regain enough hand function to manage cooking, laundry and her son’s school schedule.

Financially, Mears said costs include surgical care, inpatient days, follow-up visits, medications and adaptive equipment. Supporters set up a fundraiser that references prosthetic needs and home modifications. Typical steps in such cases can include temporary ramps, handrails and rearranging rooms to reduce stair use. Insurance coverage varies, and families sometimes supplement with community donations to bridge gaps for prosthetics, which can require periodic replacement or adjustments. Mears said any additional funds would go toward bills and making the house workable while she builds stamina and learns to navigate with a prosthetic device.

Neighbors said the block has been quiet since the night of the attack, aside from periodic visits by friends and family. A resident on the street described seeing an ambulance and a fire unit that evening and said traffic slowed as drivers looked toward the flashing lights. The neighbor said the family kept to themselves and often walked dogs early in the morning or late at night. After the incident, a small group placed flowers near the mailbox and left a note wishing Mears strength in recovery. Posts on community pages expressed relief that her child was not physically hurt and offered donations of crutches, shower chairs and groceries.

As of Sunday, Mears said she remained focused on healing and fitting a prosthetic in the coming weeks. She said she hopes to share a fuller account once therapy milestones are met and paperwork is in place for any longer-term benefits or accommodations. No additional official updates were available on the incident report. The next visible step is likely a medical progress update and, if filed, a local record noting the euthanasia of one dog and any related animal-control entries.

Author note: Last updated January 11, 2026.

  • Replies 802
  • Views 65.8k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Most Popular Posts

  • When it comes to choosing between people driving golf carts around their neighborhood or pit bulls, I'm team pit bull.

  • Samson's Wig
    Samson's Wig

    A pit mix attacked our dog while my wife walked him last week.  The pit lives in a house with kids, which blows my mind.  They are seemingly ordinary folks, even though they both work in IT, with a st

  • 956 Worldwide
    956 Worldwide

    I’m not in favor of euthanizing all pits but I am in favor of sky-high insurance rates, HOA, muni, and similar breed bans, and mandatory neutering/spaying. Dog aggression is bred into the breed. So so

Posted Images

When I read these stories I think about how Ira Glass adopted a pitbull that ruined his life. Insane to live this way even before the mauling, with two aggressive dogs that can’t tolerate each other. WTF are you doing!

He'll lunge at me as if to attack me. Including this morning, like many mornings, he woke me up at 5:30 in the morning to go out and pee. So I get up, and I put on clothes. And it's cold.

And I put on his leash and his muzzle, and find some plastic bags, and find my keys, and put on shoes, and go down five flights, and take him out. And he pees. And then I know as soon as we walk back into the apartment, because she's asleep, he'll then turn and try to kill me, or make a show of aggression. And I always feel like, dude, remember who's your friend.

  • Author
2 hours ago, Bevo said:

She said first responders arrived after neighbors reported sirens on the street and saw emergency lights outside the home.

Wut?

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...
Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business & Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Advertise... Tailgate Donations

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.