Dog's Life Is Saved After Gruesome Pit Bull Attack in Hollywood

An international donation effort has helped pay for the life of a small dog in Hollywood.

Last Friday morning, screams could be heard in a private courtyard as neighbors tried to pull a pit bull’s teeth out of the sides of an 11-month-old terrier mix.

Franny was on a leash in her yard with her owner, Lindsay Sproul, when the pit bull attacked. Franny remained silent and stationary as the snarling dog sprinted toward her, Sproul said.

“We saw him at the other end of the courtyard, and all of a sudden he was just on her. For a second, picking her up crossed through my mind, but I couldn’t do it fast enough,” says Sproul, 25, who recently moved from the East Coast.

Neighbors ran out when they heard Sproul screaming for help, pulling the dogs apart. The pit bull bit the hand of one of the helpers, who was taken to the hospital for stitches and shots. Sproul pushed her beloved pet's intestines in with a towel as a neighbor drove them to the emergency pet clinic. Soon, Franny underwent emergency surgery to repair her intestines.

Sproul, an MFA writing student at Columbia University in New York who is finishing her thesis and living off of student loans, tearfully handed over a few credit cards, hoping one of them would have enough room to pay for Franny’s surgery.

Eight inches of punctured bowels were removed from Franny. She spent four days in the pet hospital in critical condition, where her blood pressure and red blood count were monitored. She was prescribed half a dozen or so medications. Other costs will include those for follow-up visits. 

Soon after the incident, a blog was started by a friend, and news of Franny's ordeal spread across the world.

Within seven hours of the blog’s creation, people had donated $1,500 for Franny's medical bills. Early Monday morning the numbers were around the $2,000 mark. As of Wednesday night, the numbers were close to $3,900, just about $100 short of the goal.

There were donations from the usual family and close friends, but most of the money came from strangers who read the story and were outraged or moved. 

“I love how people who are touched emotionally give generously. It’s love at its purest!” one comment read.

No one is exactly sure when Franny was born. Someone found her as a newborn puppy in a trashcan in Burbank and placed her into foster care. Sproul adopted Franny on Oct. 6, shortly after moving to Los Angeles from New York, thinking both she and Franny needed a companion. It is unclear who owned the pit bull that attacked Franny.

Franny is now home with Sproul, and while she looks a little like Frankenstein, and shakes with fear when she goes outside, she is safe.

To read more about Franny's struggle, click here