Death at a dog park
Ohio's famous dog park, Bow Wow Beach, will have a separate entrance to the small-dog area after a puppy was attacked and killed by a larger dog last weekend.
According to a report in the Stow Sentry, a Maltese/poodle mix was killed June 7 after being attacked by a standard poodle.
The puppy's owner, Jane Gsellman, called the Stow Police department June 9, saying a standard poodle charged her from behind, knocking the puppy out or her hands and biting it on the neck. The puppy was taken to a veterinary emergency room, where it died. Police referred the matter to animal control.
That's Sophie to the left, in a photo provided to the Mutts blog by Jane.
"I don't want this to ever happen to another poor puppy ever again," she told Mutts in an email. "I want people to know how vitally important it is that a separate entrance be installed at all dog parks for small dog owners. At our dog park, they knew this was an issue and it wasn't until Sophie was killed that they finally took action -- within 8 hours of my telling them. Amazing and sad."
The park has a separate area for small dogs, but one must go through the large dog section to access it. Stow Parks and Recreation Director Nick Wren said his department plans to install a separate entrance that "would be adjacent to the small-dog area."
"As seen on a daily basis at the dog park, many pet owners consider their dogs as integral members of the family," he said. "We understand that the loss of a pet is very devastating and we are very sorry for the owner's loss."
"Our goal has always been, and continues to be to provide a safe and wholesome recreational outlet for all pets and their owners that visit Bow Wow Beach," he said.
The 7.5-acre fenced-in park has a 3-acre lake, and includes a sandy beach and grassy areas for dogs to run. The facility opened last summer in Silver Springs Park and recently had been named by "Dog Fancy" magazine as one of the top dog parks in the country.
Comments
This was my precious puppy, Sophie, who was killed. Thank you for posting the story.
Posted by: Jane Gsellman | June 11, 2008 2:40 PM
First let me say..
Condolences to the owner of this puppy.
Having lost a small dog that was killed by a Golden Retriever,it`s a terrible way to lose a beloved pet.
But I just can`t help notice the way it`s reported compared to how it would have been reported had the "killer" dog been alleged or perceived to be a "Pit Bull".
If this puppy had allegedly been killed by a "Pit Bull",it would be in at least 200 Newspapers around the world by now.
It would have been picked up by google alerts by people looking for "Pit Bull" attacks to justify BSL.
Forum posters all over the world would be demanding that something be done about these "killer" dogs.
We`d be reading "What if it had been a kid?"
I hope people realize that the media is a major problem when it comes to so called "Pit Bull" attacks.
All it takes is a moment of inattentiveness for something to happen.
ANY dog could have killed this puppy.
A JRT(~ the same size) which has high prey drive could have killed it.
Hopefully ALL dog owners will learn from this and be more attentive.
Separate entrances for small and large dogs is a good idea but don`t let that give anyone a false sense of security.
Small dogs can and have killed.
Just ask the farmers who shoot them for chasing and killing livestock.
I`m surprised this story even made it into a local paper.
I notice the Standard Poodle was just a dog in the headline.
People that just read headlines will probably assume this is a "Pit Bull".
If the Press is going to report dog on dog incidents,they need to report all or none and they need to call "Pit Bulls" just dogs or they need to name the other Breeds.
Posted by: MG | June 11, 2008 7:19 PM
What a sad story. Like MG, let me add my condolences to the owner of the puppy.
I'm starting to get depressed, here. We've had four virtually back-to-back entries about dogs dying, or not dying but eating a toxic toad. I don't like this.
Posted by: Michelle | June 11, 2008 9:29 PM
As the others have said, I am so sorry for the loss of this pup.
And I have to chime in and say WELL SAID to MG. How true...sad, but true.
Posted by: Amy | June 13, 2008 2:32 PM