A mum chose to have her left leg amputated after her own dog mauled her and left the limb "hanging on by a thread"."



Amanda Mears, 42, jumped in between her two dogs to break up a fight, before one, Dennis, an American Pitbull and American Staffordshire terrier cross, latched on to her left leg and clamped down, refusing to let go.



The healthcare member service advisor, from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, US, had to choke the dog using her other leg, to get him off, before calling emergency services.



Amanda was immediately rushed to hospital where doctors gave her the choice - to try and save her leg, or have it amputated, following the attack on December 10th 2025.

After realising that there was basically nothing left of her leg, Amanda decided to have it amputated hoping it would lead to a quicker recovery, and also made the decision to have her dog put down, to protect her young son,

10.

Amanda said: "Dennis has always been the sweetest dog; he'd never been aggressive before."



"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. "

"I was a bit scared, but I've broken up dog fights before, and I didn't feel any pain because of the adrenaline."



"I ended up having to hook my right leg and my arms around him and choked him out to get him off of me. "

"He also bit my left hand and crushed the bone in my right arm, but I don't think I even realised at the time. "

"I wasn't able to stand up because my leg was basically hanging off. "

"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. "

"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." "

Dog lover Amanda has four dogs of her own, and also fosters dogs abandoned by their owners.

She said that generally, her dogs get on well and cuddle up to each other.

However, three weeks prior to the incident, Amanda noticed that Dennis her half American Pitbull and half American Staffordshire Terrier and American Bully Ralphie, a rescue dog that had been in Amanda's care for around four months both went towards a cup.

Dennis started to attack Ralphie, so Amanda decided to keep the two dogs separate to prevent any more attacks.



On the morning she was attacked, Amanda was taking Dennis outside on his own, when she realised that Ralphie had escaped from the bedroom she had put him in to keep the dogs separate.



She walked over to Ralphie to put him back in the bedroom, and Dennis charged forwards and tried to attack Ralphie.



Amanda grabbed his collar and placed herself in between the two dogs.



Dennis then latched on to Amanda's leg, refusing to let go.



In the moment, Amanda said that she was a little scared, but has broken up dog fights before, so was able to stay calm.

She called to her 10-year-old son to get him to stay in his room, and tried to prize Dennis' teeth off her legs.



Amanda tried to hook her hand in to the dog's mouth to pry it open but was unsuccessful.

Eventually, she was able to hook her right leg and her arms around him and choked him until he got off her.



After Dennis let go of Amanda, he began to attack Ralphie, who did not fight back.



"Ralphie saved his own life by not defending himself", Amanda said. "

"As there was no one to fight back, Dennis got bored and eventually let go." "

After calling the emergency services, Amanda was then taken to Nashville hospital via an ambulance, but 10 miles into the hour-long journey, paramedics had to stop at another hospital to get a unit of blood, as Amanda had already lost so much.



As soon as she got to Nashville hospital, Amanda was taken in to emergency surgery, and had rods placed in her leg to keep it together.



She was then given the option to either keep her left leg, or have it amputated.

After realising that to keep her leg she would have to have a dozen surgeries over the next few years, Amanda decided that amputation would be her best option.



A few days later, Amanda's leg was amputated below the knee , and although the pain was intense for the first few days, it is now very mild.



"I think the weirdest thing is I still feel like I have a foot, so every now and then I'll feel the need to, flex my ankle, but it's not there, or my toe will get itchy, but there's no toe there", she said."



After 10 days, Amanda returned home from hospital, and is currently using a wheelchair to help her get around.



"My 10-year-old has been an amazing help, and my mum and friends come around and help with whatever I need", she said. "

After the incident, Amanda made the decision to get Dennis put down, to protect her son from harm.

Amanda is raising money to help cover the cost of her medical bills via GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/866cb0423