Rose City Rolfing

Moi! haha


The incident on January 20th around 1:30pm

First let me express my gratitude for the past, almost 10 years of joy and pleasure for all the dog walks taken in Fernhill Dog Park, starting with Dottie (mini-Schnauzer/Blue Heeler) and Chewbacca C. Chase(Yorkie). Rip Dottie Oct.2018, then the “trio of terriers”- Chase, Blackie and Rosie (my new husband’s two terrier rescues). RIP Chase June, 2022, to the present day duo “the girls” Rosie and Blackie.

We have history and fond memories at this park. It’s their happy place and we are there rain or shine almost every day walking the perimeter. The girls are getting older too and, though they enjoy meeting dogs for a sniff hello as well as people, are content to simply walk, chase the squirrels and mark territory. They don’t play, chase balls or sticks. We steer clear of what I call “the arena” where all the big dogs play.

On Friday the 20th we started our usual walk about when the sound of a dog yipping in distress caught my attention. We were at the edge of “the arena” heading north when I turned to see a small dog running from 3 large dogs that were in hot pursuit. I saw the large dogs overtake her, tackling her aggressively. She got away and kept running. They passed in front of me chasing her into the street to the sidewalk on the other side and were attacking her. I believe her person was able to grab her at this point. The first dog to come my way was a husky. I remember putting my arms out yelling NO! In an attempt to break its crazed state. At which point one of the other dogs took my legs out from under me from behind. I was on the edge of the downhill slope and the impact of my fall was concentrated at the hip as I fell. I slammed to the ground! Someone asked if I was okay.

I have broken bones in the past. My left leg wasn’t right. The woman who asked if I was alright was holding her dog, who was bleeding in a few places, and apologizing. Her friend helped me up. I couldn’t comfortably put weight on the leg so she helped me to my car parked across the street. There was a woman in a white vehicle with her window down who also asked if I was alright. I again replied “I don’t think so.” She told me the same thing had happened to her in the same exact spot! I don’t think her fall resulted in a hip fracture but appreciated her concern.

I apologized to the girls for not being able to walk them and loaded them in. My ’04 Jetta wagon is a stick so I couldn’t drive. I called my husband to come get us. I knew something was wrong. We went to Zoom Care to get an X-Ray. The doctor told us I would need surgery. I had a fracture at the neck of the femur bone. When people say they broke their hip, it’s usually this part of the leg bone that breaks. The surgery happened at around 9PM. The entire team at Providence were amazing start to finish. I feel so grateful to them for their care and expertise in helping put me back together.

It is my hope that the dogs involved in this incident’s people will have learned a lesson and will no longer off-leash their dogs. They had no control over their dogs who could potentially harm other people or dogs. I also had a realization, while sitting in my hospital bed, that my being triggered by dog fights goes back to my childhood and trauma when I was around ten. Always room for growth. I hope I will be able to remain calm and present next time.

I am a self-employed manual therapist on my own road to healing now. It may be two months at best before I can see clients again. The lost income, in addition to the hospital bills is something I had hoped to never experience. If any of you are able to help out a “friend” of Fernhill dog park, my Venmo is Debra-Duquette. There’s a pic of my face at the coast. Thank you for reading my story and stay safe out there!