Molly, a Lakeland Terrier, was on a leash with Johnston and her three other dogs. Johnston stopped on one of the trails to chat with a middle-aged couple with a large lab-collie cross. “Molly went after the other dog’s ball and it just grabbed her by the top of the neck and started to shake her,” said Johnston.
“I put my hand down the dog’s mouth and pried its teeth open and wrapped her in my sweater.”
Johnston, who has been working with dogs professionally for more than 15 years said she felt it was not the dog’s first bite. “They usually show aggression first or give a warning bite — this was a death bite — I have no proof, just my opinion, but it gave no warning no growl, nothing. It happened so fast.”
Johnston pried Molly out of the mouth of the larger dog and was quickly moved to action. “When I saw all the blood I knew I had to get her to the vet, now.” She tried to stop the bleeding by wrapping Molly in her sweater and raced to the nearby Central Saanich Animal Hospital.
“Molly suffered for three days, which included a five hour operation, a secondary complication of pneumonia, and an emergency transfer to a Vancouver critical care vet hospital,” said her owner Marjorie Law. “Finally, her heart gave out.”
Law and her husband Andy are seeking the owner of the dog that attacked Molly. “This is not a plea for sympathy. We just feel it’s our responsibility to try and find the dog because it could well do it again and it could be a child next time,” she said.
Johnston said the couple shouted at their unleashed dog, but did not try to assist her in rescuing Molly. “I wish I could have got some information from them but I was just worried about Molly. It was like a hit and run killing somebody. Just a horrible situation.”
Johnston said the couple were between the ages of 34 and 45 and the dog was a black lab-collie cross with a long coat and white on its feet. If you have any information, please contact Marjorie or Andy Law at marjorielaw@shaw.ca.
(Peninsula News Review - July 1, 2011)
