Animal Control Officer Robert Uttermohlen went to a farm in the 11000 block of Old Annapolis Road on Tuesday and found a Welsh pony and a large gray horse with bite wounds on their legs and a foal that was severely injured, according to Harold Domer, animal control director. He said the attacks took place late Monday night.
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| Karin Walden's 5-month old miniature horse foal named Dot received sutures on her head and three legs from a veterinarian after being attacked by a stray pit bull dog. The same horse also received serious bites on three legs and in the lower abdomen. The horse' full name is "Oreo's Pretty Little O." |
"She was ripped from head to toe," said owner Karin Walden of the foal. "One of the dogs actually jumped on (the Welsh pony's) back and bit her rump."
The foal, named Dot, had bite marks and puncture wounds on three of its legs and a deep cut on its head that went all the way to the bone, Ms. Walden said. A veterinarian stitched up the leg and head wounds, but was not able to suture a deep gash on the foal's belly due to swelling and the possibility of bacteria, she said.
Animal Control officers captured a brown and white pit bull that was running loose in the area, Mr. Domer said. Officers set traps to try to catch another dog described as a collie mix that might have been involved.
Ms. Walden knew something was wrong Monday night when she looked at her television monitor and saw another of her miniature horses doing frantic circles in its stall. The horse is pregnant and about to foal, so Ms. Walden keeps an eye on it by video camera, she said.
"I ran outside in my nightgown and slippers ... There were horses everywhere!" she said.
The panicked animals had broken the fence and gate to the paddock and were running loose in their field. Ms. Walden went to shut the gate and saw the pit bull and the back end of the other dog as it ran away, she said. It took her 40 minutes to bring the frightened foal back up to the barn.
"It was at the very bottom of the pasture. I had to half-carry, half-push it back, uphill all the way," she said. "It was in shock. Then I saw how badly it was injured."
The next two days will determine whether the foal will survive, Ms. Walden said. The other two horses did not require veterinary care other than antibiotics.
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| Animal Control Officer Rob Uttermohlen trapped this untagged stray brown and white pit bull roaming free on a different property on Old Annapolis Road Tuesday morning. It was captured near where Karin Walden's horses were attacked and seriously injured. |
By county law, the pit bull must remain at the Animal Control shelter on Rosemont Avenue for at least five days to give an owner a chance to come forward, Mr. Domer said. After five days it becomes county property and could be deemed potentially dangerous, he said. Right now the investigation is still open.
Ms. Walden said she hopes an owner does come forward to claim responsibility for the dog. Whoever it is will pay the foal's medical bills, either willingly or by legal order, she said.
(Frederick News Post - October 11, 2006)
