• Woman’s leg amputated after being bitten by her own dog
• She tried to break up a fight between her other pets

A woman in the U.S. state of Tennessee lost her leg after being attacked by her own dog while trying to break up a fight between it and one of her other pets.

According to media reports, her dog, an American Pitbull Staffordshire Terrier mix named Dennis, attacked her rescue dog, an American Bully named Ralphie.

The dog bit her left leg so severely that she nearly lost it completely.

Amanda Mears, 42, had to use her other leg to subdue the dog and free herself to call for an ambulance.

She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors told her she had two options: try to save what remained of her leg or have it amputated.

Given how little of the leg was left after the attack, she decided on amputation.

She also decided that Dennis would have to be euthanized because of the risk he posed to her 10-year-old son.

Mears said, “Dennis had always been the sweetest dog and had never shown aggression before. But when he attacked Ralphie, I tried to intervene, and suddenly he bit my leg and wouldn’t let go.”

She added that she had to use her legs and arms to control the dog and force him to release her, noting she also suffered a bite on her left hand and a broken right arm without even realizing it at the time.

She explained that attempting to save her leg would have required 12 additional surgeries over two years, with severe pain throughout the recovery.

She said that while the decision to euthanize Dennis was emotionally difficult, she considered it the right choice to keep her son safe.