Warning: Some details in the story may be disturbing.
REDCLIFF, AB — Many owners don’t think twice about letting their dogs out into the yard.
But one Redcliff woman is keeping a closer eye on her two dogs, after Billy was bitten by one passing by.
“It was really quick,” said Roxanne Berreth. “It was just like in the movies. Walking along, snap and go.”
Berreth was sitting on her front porch on Saturday, watching her two dogs and her grandson playing.
“They’re only in the front yard when we’re home and normally, when another dog does walk by, they do bark and stuff like that, so there was a little bit of barking.”
Berreth knew something was wrong when Billy started howling in pain.
“Half his nose was bitten off and the vet said actually we’re lucky because the half of the nose that came off, it actually just hung there,” she said, explaining how it was able to be stitched back in place.
Billy had his muzzle through the chain link gate when a man walked by with his dog and bit Billy’s nose.
The 4-year-old dog started bleeding and howling.
Berreth’s grandson also started crying while she called down the street at the man, after realizing what must have happened.
“I just want him to be aware that this is what happened and you should stop because if somebody’s yelling for you to stop, you should stop no matter what,” she said.
“If there’s bleeding, you maybe want to try to stop that bleeding, so either get a towel, maybe an old shirt or a rag, anything just to kind of cover that spot and try to halt some of the bleeding while you get on the phone and call your vet clinic,” said Dr. Kristine Luck, a veterinarian with Cypress View Vet Clinic.
A woman, who happened to be across the street walking her dog, saw the events unfold and ran over to help. She told Berreth to grab a towel to wrap around Billy’s muzzle.
Billy was rushed to the vet, and underwent surgery which lasted for more than four hours.
“The dog had 17 stitches and he lost three teeth and he was pretty traumatized, he was howling and shaking,” she said.
Dr. Luck knows emergencies and accidents can happen.
“Pets can get injured for different reasons, or get sick for different reasons, so those emergencies happen and so we do recommend either saving a little bit of money, having like a little emergency budget,” she said.
Berreth isn’t looking to have the vet bills paid for but she wants to let all dog owners know how fast things can happen.
“It happens that quickly. That’s why I’d really like people to be aware, when you’re walking a dog that things like this can happen really quickly,” she said.
To protect Billy and his curious nose, she’s installed black slats in the front gate.
She’s also reaching out, looking to find the woman who stopped to help and the man responsible.
“I would hope that somebody would come forward, either the lady that stopped to help me, or if we can get the guy to come back,” she added.
The town bylaw officer said the incident is under investigation as he looks to identify the dog’s owner.
He’s asking anybody who witnessed what happened come forward.
