Carol Macko, 67, of Jones Street, said her husband, Richard, discovered their dog, Rebel, dead in their yard around 3 p.m. after he went to investigate why the animal did not come when called.
Macko said she had just let Rebel out as she and her husband prepared to go to a movie. He was in the yard less than 10 minutes when a neighbor’s dog jumped their fence and attacked, ripping a gash in his neck and side.
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| Carol and Richard Macko with their 3 year old dog Brandy. Their other dog was recently killed by a pit bull in their fenced in yard. |
“It’s just terrible. You have an animal so long they get to be like your kids,” Carol Macko said. “It just happened so quick.”
The couple’s other dog, a 3-year-old Yorkshire terrier named Brandy, was also in the yard, but was not attacked, she said.
Macko said the pit bull was still in her yard when her husband went investigate Rebel’s whereabouts. The dog, which was not aggressive at that time, was foaming at the mouth and appeared to be very ill, she said.
Macko said the animal’s owner, whose name she does not know, came to her home Monday to apologize and told her the pit bull was suffering from an unknown illness. She said the woman told her the dog was not responding to treatment and was euthanized.
It was not clear Monday whether the pit bull’s owner will face any citations. Macko said police and the city’s animal control officer responded to the scene, but did not indicate what, if any, action will be taken.
Drew McLaughlin, administrative coordinator for the city, was not able to obtain information about the case Monday.
Macko said Rebel was a loveable and friendly dog who loved to cuddle with her on the couch.
“He was the best dog we ever had,” she said. “He was so friendly. He wouldn’t hurt anyone. Everybody who came to my house loved this dog.”
The death is particularly heartbreaking because it happened in their own yard. She and her husband are so upset they had the dog cremated because they couldn’t bear to bury him in the yard.
Other family members and friends are having a tough time coping with the dog’s death, she said.
“It was like a funeral here (Sunday),” she said. “You’d swear a human died, we were all so heartbroken over this dog.”
(timesleader.com - Oct 15, 2012)
