DailyLocal.com
UWCHLAN — A woman from Upper Uwchlan reported that while going for a walk March 11 on the Struble Trail with her two daughters and two dogs, one of her dogs was attacked by a Rottweiler.
Jennifer Catrambone, a teacher at Lionville Middle School, said only quick action by her Jack Russell terrier saved her Sheltie from fatal injuries.
Catrambone said she had entered the trail from Dowlin Forge Road and was walking north when she noticed a young couple approaching with a Rottweiler dog on a leash.
“I had a funny feeling looking at how the girl was holding the dog,” said Catrambone, and she told her 7-year-old twin daughters to stay back.
As she approached the dog, Catrambone said, the woman knelt by the side of the trail and put the dog in a headlock.
When she was abreast of the dog, the Rottweiler broke free and first went for her, she said, but then picked up the Sheltie by the throat and started shaking her.
Catrambone said the owners of the Rottweiler did nothing while she screamed and yelled at the larger dog. At one point, she said, her Sheltie let out an awful cry, and the Jack Russell jumped on the Rottweiler’s back, snarling.
When the Rottweiler lifted his head, Catrambone said, she was able to pull her Sheltie away. The owners of the Rottweiler then regained control of their dog.
A couple who had witnessed the attack then came to her aid, she said. Meanwhile, the couple with the Rottweiler vanished.
Catrambone said her dog had puncture wounds and needed surgery but is doing well now. She said her daughters have been traumatized by the event and she, too, is very fearful. She reported the incident to the Uwchlan Police Department.
“I’m worried about other people who are using the Struble Trail and could be walking their dogs unaware of this dangerous, aggressive dog,” she said.
To contact staff writer Anne Pickering, send an e-mail to
apickering@dailylocal.com.