A Burnaby family is mourning the death of their dog Lucky after it was torn apart by two vicious dogs, but they are also furious about what has happened since then.
And I can’t blame them.
Lucky was attacked on Jan. 20 by two large dogs while being walked on a leash in the Bainbridge area south of Lougheed Highway and east of Phillips Avenue and west of Seaforth Elementary. Thousands of dollars was raised to help the family with the enormous vet bill.
The dog’s owner posted a Facebook account of what has happened since the attack, including the trauma of her mother who was walking Lucky when the attacked happened.
The attack was investigated and the dogs have now been deemed as “vicious” but they won’t be euthanized. According to the owner, the dogs must not leave the house without a leash and a muzzle.
“The owners must now display a sign at their dwelling indicating that a vicious dog lives there,” the owner wrote. “I perceive this to continue to protect the owners as it puts the onus on the person walking by. To me, a warning sign posted says, ‘Walk here at your own risk. You or your pet might be killed.’ Furthermore, they only put the sign up on Saturday, a full month after the attack, despite being required by the SPCA to do so weeks ago.”
The owners of the attack dogs must also pay a fine to the city, but Lucky’s owner was not told how much the fine was. The owners of the attack dogs also haven’t paid the vet bills for Lucky’s care.
“Nothing about these dog owners' lives is any different than the morning of January 20th when Lucky was alive, healthy and happy, peacefully napping on the couch in the sunshine before his fatal afternoon walk,” the owner wrote. “The owners are not accountable, and the worst part is, there is absolutely nothing in place to prevent this from happening again.”
I think these vicious dogs should be euthanized because they are clearly a menace to our community, but Lucky’s owner disagrees.
“To be clear, I'm not in support of euthanizing the vicious dogs who murdered Lucky,” she wrote. “The last thing I would want as a result of this tragedy is three dead dogs. However, I don't believe these owners should be allowed to keep them, and simply continue on as per usual. Lucky's death provides evidence that they are clearly not responsible, nor capable of properly training their dogs or keeping them secure.”
All fair points.
Just a terrible tragedy for this family – made worse by a measly fine and little else that can be considered punishment.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
