DogsBite Blog ::

Lubbock Horse Hurt by Pit Bulls in Fight for Life

There is Still Hope for Jolly
Lubbock TX - As Hearts and Hooves struggles to get their horses back on their feet, city officials consider charges against the owners of the pit bulls that attacked the horses. Kim Sparks has been hoping the four horses who survived the attack would recover. 

Jolly, though, has taken a turn for the worse. Sparks transported the 5-year-old horse to a hospital after a blood clot in her back right leg was discovered. A determination will be made whether the leg can be amputated. If amputation is not an option, Jolly may have to be euthanized.

Meanwhile, vet bills are climbing. The community has donated more than $10,000. The pit bulls' owners, Les and Laura Hurley, have not offered restitution for the medical bills. Their attorney disputes that.

"They intend to pay all the vet bills," said attorney Dan Hurley.

If Jolly survives an amputation, Sparks hopes a prosthetist can build him a new leg. Jolly's appetite also is good, Sparks said, so she and her family and friends are hopeful he will pull through. "He's hopping along on the three legs," she said. "We have to try."

Kevin Overstreet, the city's animal services director, said the dogs' owners likely will be charged with violating the city's leash laws, a class C misdemeanor with a $165 fine. Overstreet said charges have not yet been filed because officials had been looking for the strongest charge possible.

Related article:
03/21/08: Pit Bull Epidemic in Lubbock, Texas (Jan-Mar 2008)

Labels: Horse Attack