HOUSTON — Rose McCarty said she and her very special pup Romeo have a unique bond. She adopted Romeo several years ago, trained him to be a search and rescue dog, and began answering calls both in the U.S. and abroad.
“In terms of rescues, he saved three people’s lives and he saved two dogs' lives,” Rose McCarty told KHOU 11 News.
But McCarty said about two weeks ago, it was Romeo whose life needed to be saved after neighbors told her a Rottweiler roaming her Oak Forest neighborhood managed to get over her fence and viciously attack Romeo.
“He was mauled horrifically and then dragged through the dirt, and he was struggling for his life,” McCarty explained.
A loved one later arrived home and rushed Romeo to the vet, where he was treated for countless wounds.
“He went into septic shock because he sustained such tragic injuries,” McCarty said.
Thankfully Romeo survived, but McCarty told us there's still concern over his liver function following the attack.
As for the dog who mauled Romeo, McCarty said it hasn't been seen since the incident and right now she's more focused on getting Romeo healthy than tracking down his attacker.
If you would like to help McCarty pay Romeo’s mounting medical bills, there's a GoFundMe account.
If you encounter an aggressive dog in Houston, you can report it by calling BARC at 311 or by submitting a form online. The signed and notarized statement must include a description of the event(s) with the date and time of the incident(s).
