A Chelsea, Massachusetts resident says a routine walk near her home turned violent after an unleashed dog attacked her small service animal, leaving the injured dog facing possible amputation.
Liza Henriquez was walking her service dog, Snoopy, on Chestnut Street this past Monday — just a short distance from her house — when a much larger dog, which she says she had noticed in the area before, suddenly charged and clamped onto Snoopy without warning.
Henriquez said she instinctively placed her own injured hand into the attacking dog’s mouth, risking her fingers in an effort to pull her service dog free rather than let him be seriously hurt.
The attack left Snoopy with a severe open wound on his leg, and veterinarians have told Henriquez that while saving the limb may be technically possible, the cost would run into the thousands of dollars — an expense she says she cannot afford. As it stands, amputation appears to be the likely outcome.
Henriquez has also raised questions about accountability, arguing that the blame should fall on the other dog’s owner for letting the animal off-leash rather than on the dog itself.
She has been openly critical of how local police initially handled the incident, saying she felt the response fell short given the severity of the attack. In a public statement, Chelsea Police Chief Keith Houghton asked residents to withhold judgment and allow investigators time to conduct a complete and impartial review before drawing conclusions from social media posts.
Henriquez also said she sustained a concussion during the incident and will now need to undergo a series of rabies shots as a precaution.
According to Chelsea Animal Control, the dog involved has been formally seized and placed under a mandatory 10-day quarantine, as required under state law. Police have indicated that body camera footage from the scene will be released publicly once the investigation concludes.