Last September or October a neighbor's new dog was in out yard and jumped onto some of my potted perennials and didn't completely sever, but almost completely severed the main stalk of my venosa violacea clematis just inches from where it pokes out of the soil.

At the time I really wants sure what to do, it's a zone three and it's supposed to be hard pruned, but not that low and not in the fall like that. Anyway, I probably should have posted this then, but instead, I pruned it. Unfortunately, all of my perennials are starting to return and my clematis is just a little brown stick sticking up from itâÂÂs pot. Is it dead? Should I have not pruned it? Or is there anything else I could have done?

Oh, also, this will be (or would have been) it's fifth year, and it's always lived in a pot.