When a 70-year-old woman walked out of a Florida supermarket with her 14-year-old dog, she had no idea the shopping trip would turn into a life-or-death battle.
On September 1, Shirley Pasamanick was leaving the Plaza Tropical Supermarket in Orlando with Sparky, her beloved senior pup, when a Pit bull appeared and charged.
“It just out of nowhere bolted at us,” Shirley told WESH 2.
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“And I did everything I could. We ended up on the ground.”
Surveillance video shows Ms Pasamanick swinging her cane with everything she had, trying to beat the dog back as it sank its teeth into Sparky.
But the Pit bull wouldn’t let go.
“I couldn’t open his mouth,” she said. “
So I bit him. I had to! I’m 91 pounds! I have no strength!”
Yes, in a moment of sheer desperation, Ms Pasamanick bit the Pit bull on the neck. And it worked. The dog released Sparky, giving her a chance to scoop him up and get out of harm’s way.
The shocking footage then shows a man — believed to be the Pit bull’s owner — calmly strolling over, grabbing the dog’s leash, and walking away as if nothing had happened.
“Grabbed his leash, walked away, didn’t check on us to see how we were,” Ms Pasamanick said, still incredulous days later. Authorities are now trying to track him down.
Ms Pasamanick was left with bruises and bite marks on her leg, while Sparky, whom she calls her “reason for getting up” every day, had multiple bite wounds of his own. She says she was shaken for days after the attack, replaying the scene in her head.
“I was shaking for days after this happened,” she said. “And I’m shaking every time I see it!”
The senior was just as upset at the bystanders who stood back as the mauling unfolded.
“They just stood there,” she said. “And people are going to see it now, that you’re cowardly.”
Ms Pasamanick has since taken to Facebook, urging others to share the video of the attack to raise awareness. She believes the Pit bull should be put down before it hurts anyone else.
“Something has to be done,” she wrote.
For Ms Pasamanick, Sparky isn’t just a pet — he’s family, and her motivation to fight through pain and fear.
“You gotta take care of your dog,” she said, voice cracking. “He’s the reason some days I get up.”
Local authorities are investigating and have asked anyone with information about the Pit bull or its owner to come forward.
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