Dog bites off part of local barber’s thumb in NW Miami-Dade attack; animal euthanized – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) – A dog went on the attack in a Northwest Miami-Dade neighborhood, biting off part of a woman’s thumb and causing additional injuries to her hands and arms.

Speaking with 7News from her hospital bed, Rara Taipale showed her injured hand.

“He amputated my thumb. It’s just puncture wounds everywhere,” she said. “He tore my tendons, and he tore my muscles.”

Taipale said the animal bit off the top half of her left thumb.

“The whole thumbnail up to the knuckle,” she said.

Tuesday morning’s gruesome attack left a trail of blood along the 9500 block of Northwest Third Avenue after a neighbor’s American bulldog pushed its way under a fence behind the home of Taipale’s cousin, Michael Rodriguez.

“The dog made its way through here. It’s the third time that that’s happened,” said Rodriguez.

Taipale described the heart-stopping moment when the bulldog lunged at her.

“I tried to, like, grab his collar, and he ended up latching on to my arm,” she said, “and just locked on and would not let go.”

Rodriguez said he drove up to find the canine latched onto his cousin.

“Her back was pinned against the wall, and the dog was attached to her forearm,” he said.

“I don’t know where the owner was. The whole time I was screaming, ‘Help,’” said Taipale.

After more than five minutes, Rodriguez said, the owner of the dog jumped the fence and was able to get the animal off of Taipale.

“There was such thick blood covering her arms that all I could just see was complete blood on both sides,” said Rodriguez.

The male bulldog’s owner surrendered his pet to Miami-Dade Animal Services. In a statement, a representative from the agency wrote, “In the interest of public safety, the dog was humanely euthanized.”

Taipale, an artist and barber with an Instagram page, remains in the hospital.

“I got maybe 12 weeks of therapy on this arm and on this arm,” she said.

She said she worries about the impact the injuries to her arms and hands will have on her career.

“It’s pretty much my life. It’s my passion and, yeah, he took about three months of my life just now where I won’t be able to do that,” she said.

A 7News crew went to the home of the bulldog’s owner. There is a “beware of dog” sign on the fence.

Rodriguez said they had filed complaints about the bulldog before to MDAS. It remains unclear whether or not the owner will be cited related to the attack.

Taipale will likely be out of work for months. Her loved ones have set up a GoFundMe page to help with expenses. If you would like to make a donation, click here.

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