A McMinnville resident is seeking help finding the owner of a dog that attacked her Chihuahua as they walked along the Barren Fork Greenway.

“Hearing my dog scream was terrifying,” said Polly Vaughn. “He knew he was going to die. I knew if I didn’t do something, he would die. So, I did what they tell you not to do, I reached into the Pitbull’s mouth and tried to pry its teeth off my dog. It bit me on the hand, but I managed to get Beaner out of its mouth.”

Vaughn says she was walking her dog on the greenway on May 31 when a woman, who identified herself only as Tammy, asked if she could walk alongside her.

“I told her sure because she seemed friendly enough,” said Vaughn. “She said she lived in Murfreesboro. She was walking a white and black Pitbull. It had a pink harness on it. She had it on a short leash. We were making our way toward Riverfront Park when my niece came walking up and we stopped to talk.”

The Pitbull, possibly named Lola, dove into the stroller in which Beaner was riding and latched onto the Chihuahua’s neck and shoulder.

“The dog pulled Beaner out of his carrier and started to shake him,” said Vaughn. “I had never experienced anything like that before in my life. It was traumatic. Beaner was crying. I just knew he was going to die. I’m lucky to have my dog. He spent days at the vet. I’m lucky to just have the one bite on my hand, a deep puncture.”

Rather than immediately report the attack, Vaughn obtained the woman’s cellphone number and headed to the veterinarian.

“She seemed very concerned,” said Vaughn. “She even sent me a message asking me how the vet appointment went. I told her that it went fine, but there would a sizeable vet bill that she needed to help me with.”

That’s when all communication ended between the two.

Law enforcement was notified when Vaughn sought treatment for the bite to her left hand, as required by law.

“Myself and Warren County Health Department have been working on this,” said David Denton, city Animal Control officer. “All we have is the first name and a cellphone number. I’ve called it. It goes straight to voice mail. I have left a message. Now it says the inbox is full. She hasn’t returned any of my calls. We’ll continue to work on it.”

Along with the financial cost, rabies is a concern.

“I really need to find her,” said Vaughn. “Hopefully, someone can help me. Rabies is very concerning. I don’t know if her dog was vaccinated. She didn’t say and now she stopped returning my text messages.”

Beaner, who just turned 3 years old, was treated by a local veterinarian and is expected to make a full recovery.

Anyone with information is asked to call McMinnville Animal Control. It can be reached at McMinnville Public Works Department on Belmont Drive. The number is 931-473-2553.