LIVONIA, Mich. – A Livonia family is searching for answers after their senior dog, Lucy, was left severely injured in what they believe was a dog attack just before the Fourth of July weekend. The incident has cost the family $15,000 in emergency veterinary care and left them emotionally shaken — but the owner says it’s still not too late for the other dog’s owner to do the right thing.
A normal morning turns terrifying
It started as a routine morning. Jamie Lee had just left home when her husband let their dogs, two chihuahua mixes out into the yard.
“It was just a normal morning, I had just left, my husband was getting ready for work, he let the dogs out for a little bit to go to the bathroom,” Lee said.
A short time later, Lucy’s littermate, Yuki, began howling — alerting the family that something was wrong. What they found was devastating: Lucy was covered in blood, unable to walk and in desperate need of emergency care.
Extensive injuries, a long road to recovery
The injuries Lucy sustained were severe.
“From what we can tell, her entire snout was crushed, her bone is broken here, here, she lost vision in her eye, she lost all of her front teeth, her nasal cavity was collapsed — she needed tubes to breathe,” Lee said.
The family spent several hours visiting multiple animal hospitals before finding a veterinarian capable of providing the level of care Lucy needed. She spent four days with an emergency vet and underwent multiple surgeries.
Surveillance video reveals a clue
Initially, the cause of Lucy’s injuries was unclear.
“We couldn’t tell exactly what happened,” Lee said.
That’s when Lee decided to review her home surveillance footage from around the time of the incident. What she saw surprised her.
“That’s when I saw this woman,” Lee said. “It was clear that she couldn’t handle the dog.”
The footage shows a woman being pulled across Hubbard Street by a large black-and-white dog that was barking. The attack itself was not captured on camera. Lee believes Lucy was sniffing under the fence — a habit of hers — when she was injured.
A family still reeling
The emotional toll on the Lee family has been significant.
“My daughter was having nightmares about it, I was waking up thinking I can’t believe somebody would do this and then walk away,” Lee said.
Lucy’s life-saving medical care has cost the family $15,000. But Lee says what she wants more than anything is accountability — and she’s still willing to extend compassion to the other dog’s owner.
“I’m still willing to give her grace, I just think you should do the right thing,” Lee said.
“I know it’s probably fearful for her as well to have to stop and say I’m sorry this happened, and maybe she’s afraid it’s costly, she’ll get in trouble or something could happen to her dog,” Lee added.
Community on alert
The Lee family has contacted Livonia Police and says neighbors, mail carriers and animal control officers are all on the lookout for the dog seen in the surveillance video.
Lee’s message to the woman seen on camera is simple: it’s still not too late to come forward.