OREGON -- Zoe was Elle Saiz’s “baby,” a five-pound Yorkie who loved to be rocked and cradled like a baby.
But the dog was attacked and killed about 7:30 a.m. Saturday at the McMinnville Dog Park off Northeast Riverside Drive. Jeff Evans was at the park with four large, mixed-breed dogs, when 65-pound Hank, a Hungarian Vizsla, pounced on Zoe.
“I’ve been going to the dog park since I moved here in January,” Saiz said. “I went Friday, then went back Saturday, and he was there with his four dogs.”
Saiz said she communicated with Evans about whether or not his dogs and Zoe would be compatible. He said he believed everything would be fine, so she lowered Zoe to the ground from a picnic table.
“The dog (Hank) kind of sniffed her,” Saiz said. “Zoe was always good with big dogs.
“Then the dog snatched her around her waist. Zoe started to struggle and the dog just shook her. The big dog probably broke her neck.”
A friend, Cheryl Akers, was with her at the time.
She held Zoe in her arms as the two drove around trying to find a veterinary office open at that hour. But Zoe died in her arms.
“A memorial is at the park, and people have been so kind,” Saiz said. “Zoe touched everyone’s heart. She was such a sweetheart. She was so special. She was a rescue. She had such a hard life before I got her. She was just the sweetest dog. I can’t even describe how sweet she was.”
Saiz said Zoe demanded attention, and because she made friends so easily, there never seemed to be a time when someone wasn’t making a fuss over her. If they were at the dog park, she said, Zoe would paw at a picnic table where people were sitting until someone paid her some attention.
A message Saiz left at the memorial in remembrance of Zoe reads, in part:
“I know very few dog owners who do not think their dog is special and unique. However, as evidenced by this memorial her friends have established, EVERYONE loved this little bundle of love.
“She rescued me on September 11, 2009. I took her from a personal home puppy mill environment. She had already had 18 puppies, never been housebroken, or had any shots. Her coat was straggly and she needed two teeth pulled the first week! I only mention this because, despite the life she had for her first 4 1/2 years, she really was quite the charmer and had so much love to give. Even strangers who claimed not to be ‘dog people’ could not resist picking her up and rocking her like a baby. She loved being held and rocked like a newborn.
“The minute she saw someone she knew entering from the top entrance, she would run up to greet them, and usually do the flop. Of course, this usually led to her being picked up and carried to the picnic table. She had Michael’s number because he would feel sorry for her and carry her around the track, because he felt sorry for her walking so much on her little chicken bone legs. After picking her up and carrying her for a lap, Greg said he ‘got’ why people loved little dogs. Cheryl couldn’t say no to her, and Dawn didn’t even scream when she stepped on her cast on the way to lie by her face.”
Saiz said Zoe would wake her every morning by licking her face, after spending the night beside her. She said Zoe’s snoring, which consisted of “tiny little sighs,” would make her smile.
She said she couldn’t remember a time when Zoe was ever naughty. She offered nothing but unconditional love.
Saiz’s son, Sal Peralta, said Zoe was buried in his backyard. He said his mother has settled on an affectionate new name for the site — “Zoe’s Garden.”
Evans said he’d just arrived in McMinnville from Hawaii, after being separated from his kenneled dogs for seven months.
“It was a horrible situation,” he said. “I don’t know what to say. I’m extremely distraught this happened. I’ve waited seven months to get my babies home, and then we have an altercation and Zoe dies.’
He said, “I feel for Elle. It’s like losing a baby. I’m having a hard time living with this.”
He said Hank had never turned on another dog in such a horrific manner. He thinks Hank was traumatized by the long kennel stay.
“I’m working with Elle to get a new dog,” Evans said. “I’ve enrolled Hank in obedience school through Petco to make him a more normal dog. I need to be more proactive with Hank. I’ve already gotten a muzzle and a harness, and I won’t be returning to the park anytime soon, if ever.”
If Hank can’t be trained to properly socialize with other dogs, then he would be willing to give him up, Evans said.
Jay Pearson, director of the McMinnville Parks and Recreation Department, which operates the dog park, said this is the first time he’s aware that a dog has been fatally attacked. He said he’d heard about the incident, but had not spoken to either Evans or Saiz.
“We have had dogs injured out there, but that’s rare,” Pearson said. “When that happens, dog owners are expected to work things out between themselves, including covering any medical expenses.”
Park users are expected to treat other patrons with respect, to take responsibility for the behavior of their pets and to solve disputes regarding animal behavior issues with common sense. According to the department website, the aim is to foster a safety-first but patron-friendly environment.
According to the rules, owners are to bring no more than three dogs at a time, have leashes available for each and keep each under sight and voice control at all times. The rules ban aggressive dogs and say any dog that becomes rough or unruly must be leashed and removed.
(News-Register - August 1, 2012)
