Matthew Connolly was carrying his little Shih Tzu Rosalita near Frank Principe Park when a 100 pound Rottweiler charged them and started to chomp on Rosalita. And then the Rottweiler turned to Connolly's arm when he tried to push the big dog away. Two auto mechanics nearby got the Rottweiler away, by using carburator spray and sticks. Witnesses described the 2 year old Rottweiler as "ripping out" Connolly's arm and were upset the dog wasn't on a leash. The Daily News reports that Rottweiler's owner, Philip Simon, was given a summons for walking his dog without a leash - and that the dog apparently gets along with Simon's 10 month old son!
The Department of Health is monitoring the situation (we think the policy is if a dog bites or attacks humans twice, it is put down). And it turns out that Rosalita's original owner was Connolly's son, who died last year; Connolly said, "This is the only thing I have left of my son." Rosalita is having surgery for a punctured neck and dislocated vertebra, while Connolly will need skin grafts.
