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Dog injured in savage attack |
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Written by Richard Amery
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Thursday, 23 October 2008 |
The Lethbridge Animal Control department is canvassing a north side neighbourhood looking for witnesses to an attack by two dogs thought to be pitbulls on another dog, around 6 p.m., Tuesday.
The attack left the dog in serious condition and owner Mike Seltenhammer distraught.
“He hasn’t had much sleep,” said neighbour Dean Johnson, who didn’t see the attack, but said someone left a note on Seltenhammer’s door informing him about the attack.
“The dog might not make it. It’s larynx is crushed, it could stop breathing at any moment,” said Johnson, agreeing the incident was scary.
“His daughter could have been out there.”
Mike Seltenhammer is relieved his nine-year-old 30-pound red heeler cross, Raiden, is alive — for now.
“I’m still shaken up . . . I’ve never seen anything like this,” Seltenhammer said, adding even though Raiden was left for dead after the attack, he is grateful he survived.
“The attack happened around 6 p.m. and I didn’t get home until 9 p.m. He held on until I got home. He was just lying in his doghouse covered with blood,” Seltenhammer said adding one of his neighbours heard noises and went out to investigate with a stick and scared off two brown dogs weighing approximately 70 pounds each who had jumped over his gate and attacked Raiden.
“ So when the vet said he could either put him to sleep or try to save him, I said, ‘try to save him.’ He’s a tough guy,” he continued, adding vet bills are already up to $1,000, but fortunately Seltenhammer got a break.
“They’re doing everything they can to help. It should have been twice as much,” said Seltenhammer, who was recently laid off.
“I don’t need this right now. I just got handed a very high vet bill. I’m angry but I don’t know who to blame,” he continued, adding he’s hoping the owners of the rogue dogs will come forward and foot the bill.
“It’s their mistake for not tying their dogs up,” he said, adding he doesn’t know who the owners of the dogs are.
“My five-year-old-daughter could have been out there playing with him. There’s lots of young families in this neighbourhood. Nobody wants this to happen.”
Raiden’s not out of the woods yet. He could still come down with pneumonia.
Senior bylaw officer Dave Henley said two dogs were brought into the Lethbridge Animal Shelter Tuesday night and were released to their owners, as no attack had been reported at the time.
“It’s pretty difficult to hold them without a witness (to the attack),” Henley said adding Lethbridge Animal Services is canvassing the neighbourhood around the 400 block around 12 Street North.
“We are looking for somebody to come forward,” Henley said, adding anybody who witnessed the attack is asked to call the Lethbridge Animal Centre immediately at 403-320-4099.
He could not confirm the attacking dogs were pitbulls until a witness comes forward with a proper identification.
Henley said it’s difficult to determine what breed the dogs were until they have a witness.
Seltenhammer may have to go to civil court for reparations once the owners of the dogs are identified, but hopes it won’t come to that.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 10 August 2009 )
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