By William Smith
Jimmy Bruegger never used to have nightmares — not ones that he can remember, anyway.
That changed after he and his Irish Setter — Scarlett — were attacked last month by a pit bull that had escaped its owner near the Burlington riverfront.
Scarlett barely survived the attack, and Bruegger has spent more than $9,000 in vet bills to keep her alive. The pit bull bit Bruegger on the thumb during the attack, breaking the bone inside and lacerating the flesh around it.
He still has a cast on his arm.
“If it doesn’t heal right, they will have to go back and put a screw in there,” Bruegger said.
The attack happened around 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 13 near the Port of Burlington, which is a regular walking spot for the two.
“When I pull up, I scope the area out for loose dogs just to make sure things are safe,” Bruegger said.
They barely had a chance to get started when the pit bull attacked.
“And all of a sudden, this dog came up behind us and grabbed her by the throat. I went down with her. And it commenced to trying to kill her,” Bruegger said.
Bruegger, as did the owner, tried to pull the dog off his dog. Scarlett, meanwhile, just hunkered down. The dog continued to attack, ripping at Scarlett’s neck and chest to the point where Bruegger could see Scarlett’s jugular.
“I had both arms around Scarlett, trying to keep the pitbull from dragging her away,” Bruegger said.
By then, the pitbull had ripped off sections of Scarlett’s ears. Bruegger was able to get the pit bull off her momentarily, but he went right back in for the kill. A good Samaritan, who was fishing nearby, rushed to help. After the attack, he cut off a piece of his blue jeans and used it as a tourniquet for Scarlett’s neck.
Eight police officers arrived, and by then, Bruegger was covered in blood. His only priority was to save his dog’s life.
That turned out to be a month-long process. The first emergency visit was to Allgood Animal Hospital. Bruegger got his broken thumb set the next day and took Scarlett to a vet in Iowa City the day after.
Scarlett’s wounds on her chest and neck were stitched together but had started re-opening just a couple of days later. By the time Bruegger was able to get her back in, the wound was large enough to stick his hand through it.
Bruegger was referred to the University of Missouri Veterinary Medicine, where he received the care Scarlett needed. He thought she was going to lose her ear, but the doctors were able to save it. He stayed down there for a week.
“The wounds aren’t all the way healed, but they’re progressing nicely, and I just kind of take care of her as well,” Bruegger said.
Scarlett is back to her old self, although she’s still sore and moves gingerly. Bruegger, who is retired from BNSF Railway, was thankful he had the time to spend with Scarlett while she clung to survival.
The pit bull was scheduled for destruction earlier this week, having shown a history of violent incidents. Bruegger is just trying to move on with his life, though the financial side of the healing has been a burden.
Bruegger has never had post-traumatic stress disorder before. But he’s working through it. It’s a small price to pay for the life of his best friend.
“I’m 24-7 taking care of my baby,” Bruegger said.