Vet: Doxie not out of the woods

ROSEBURG, Ore. -- On Tuesday, KPIC News told you about an incident in Roseburg that left one dog dead and another fighting for her life.

Itty Bitty the Dachshund, was taken to Companion Animal Clinic in Roseburg, after an altercation with a Staffordshire Terrier, commonly referred to as a Pitbull.

When Itty first got to the clinic, officials weren't sure she was going to make it, and her owner was devastated. "It's just a crazy thing, you know? You love a dog, get attached to them, it's like a kid," said Collin Watkins, Itty's owner.

She suffered injuries to her chest, lungs and one of her legs, and doctors said she had a 50-50 chance.

A day later, Itty was doing much better. "We're keeping her very comfortable with the pain meds and all," said Dr. Alan Ross. "Every hour that goes by, I feel a little bit better."

The dog was critically injured while she and her owner were at the disc golf course in Stewart Park.

Watkins says Itty was in his arms, when the Pitbull named Joker latched on to the little dog and wouldn't let go. He and a group of his friends tried to separate the two, but couldn't do it.

Watkins' friend Brett Patton pulled out a knife and stabbed Joker to death. "That's when we had to kill the dog," Watkins said. "I mean, we tried everything to try to get him to break loose, and we couldn't get him to break loose. Punching him in the head, everything. He just wasn't letting go."

Officials say that no charges have been filed, but that could change.

Douglas County Sheriff's deputy Dwes Hutson said, "We have three dog bite cases there, and then of course we have a person who caused the death of the dog, that's under investigation to determine whether or not that was justified."

Dr. Ross says she's not out of the woods yet.

Itty is heavily sedated, and won't be able to leave the clinic for at least a few weeks. Watkins says he's just excited to take her back home.