70-Year-Old Orlando Woman Left 'Bruised' and 'Shaken' After Biting a Pit Bull to Save Her Dog from Attack By Gabrielle Rockson 29

A 70-year-old woman in Florida is going to extreme lengths to protect her pet dog Sparky.

On Monday, Sept. 1, Shirley Pasamanick was leaving the Plaza Tropical Supermarket in Orlando when a pit bull suddenly lunged at her 14-year-old dog, Sparky, according to WESH 2, WLBT, and her own post on Facebook.

“It just out of nowhere bolted at us,” Pasamanick told WESH 2. “And I did everything I could. We ended up on the ground.”

In footage shared by the outlets, the woman was seen using a cane to hit the pitbull while the animal continued to attack her dog.

After her attempts to fight the dog off failed, Pasamanick decided to bite the pitbull’s neck, resulting in the dog eventually stopping the ambush.

“I couldn’t open his mouth,” she told WESH 2. “So I bit him. I had to! I’m 91 pounds! I have no strength!”

A man, believed to be the pit bull’s owner, was then captured on CCTV taking the dog away on a leash. “Grabbed his leash, walked away, didn’t check on us to see how we were,” Pasamanick said of the owner’s reaction, per WLBT.

Authorities are still trying to identify the owner, according to WESH 2.

PEOPLE had contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida and Plaza Tropical Supermarket for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

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Pasamanick — who said she was disappointed nobody intervened or tried to help during the attack — was left with bites and bruises on her leg, while Sparky also had bite marks, per WESH 2 and WLBT.

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“[They] just stood there. And people are going to see it now that you’re cowardly,” she said, per WLBT.

Pasamanick also said that the pit bull needs to “be put down” following the attack. “Something has to be done. I was shaking for days after this happened,” she noted.

In a Facebook post, Pasamanick said that people should share the video of the attack to raise awareness.

“Dog came out of nowhere. I’m shaking every time I see it!,” she wrote in the comment section.

Meanwhile, Pasamanick told WESH 2 that her dog has been a source of strength for her amid the attack and is the “reason some days I get up.”

“You gotta take care of your dog,” she added.