Warning: This story describes a graphic scene.
City and conservative service officials are urging pet owners to keep their animals on a leash after a dog was killed by raccoons just off a popular walking path in Trail.
David Craig was walking his two dogs, a lab named Jango and a little Shih Tzu named Lucy, on Thursday morning at Gyro Park.
Craig said the larger dog must have picked up a scent before running through the tall grass into a swampy section, and started barking.
Lucy had followed, but couldn鈥檛 run away quickly.
鈥淚 went in to try to help her because I wasn鈥檛 sure what was going on,鈥� Craig said. 鈥淭he raccoons were just chomping down on her and didn鈥檛 (care at all that) I was there with a stick. One was ready to attack me鈥�. It was horrible.鈥�
Shaken and unable to retrieve Lucy鈥檚 remains, he went home and had his family contact the B.C. Conservation Officer Service.
鈥淭here are a few people that take their small dogs through there all the time, like I have been doing every morning for at least the past year,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ith people walking through there, and kids playing down there, you can鈥檛 have a pack of raccoons 鈥� running around the neighbourhood.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what gets me, they weren鈥檛 scared of me at all, they were just hungry.鈥�
Kyle Bueckert, a conservation officer in the West Kootenay zone, said the city will post signs about the aggressive raccoons in the park, and for pet owners to keep their dogs on a leash at all times.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very unlikely we would have a raccoon-human interaction,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 much more likely (this happened) given the fact that these dogs were off-trail investigating the raccoons.鈥�
newsroom@trailtimes.ca
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