By Lisa Loomis, Editor, Valley Reporter
Republished with permission of author.
Waitsfield’s animal control officer Fred Messer is seeking information about the owner(s) of an unleashed pit bull (white with black markings) that fatally injured a leashed and harnessed dog on the West Greenway on Jul 27.
The dog, Barkley, is a miniature poodle who was leashed and harnessed and with his owner Dan Zucker and another leashed and harnessed dog. Messer reported that Zucker saw the unleashed pit bull run towards him and called to the owners to leash their dog. Messer said they took no action and while Zucker tried to deter the bigger dog, he was unable to prevent the attack. The incident happened at 11:40 a.m. and Zucker was about 100 yards from the parking lot on Meadow Road.
The pit bull mauled Barkley and Zucker rushed him to the Waterbury Veterinary Hospital.
“His heart was still beating, but the veterinarian recommended euthanizing the dog immediately,” Messer said.
“Barkley was 13. He was a 10-pound miniature poodle rescue dog that I adopted 11 years ago. He was a tough outdoorsman, tackling many high peaks in the Green Mountains and the Northfield Range along with me and his best canine buddy Rosie. He and I ran the Mutt Strut 5k in 28 minutes at Little River State Park back before the pandemic. When it was too cold for him or his back was bothering him from arthritis, I would carry him in a chest pack,” Zucker said.
Immediately after the attack, Zucker said he was in too much of a panic to take in a lot of details, but said there was a man in the parking lot getting ready to go fishing who saw him running with his dogs.
He may have noted more about the couple and their dog. That man was average height, stocky and may have had facial hair, Zucker said.
Messer noted that the town’s dog ordinance mandate that owners have physical control of their dogs when off the owner’s property. The penalty is $25, $50, or $200 for first, second, and third violations, or actions as the Waitsfield Select Board deems appropriate.
Anyone with information regarding this incident, is asked to contact Messer at fred.messer@waitsfieldvt.gov