RCMP rescue dog blinded with hair dye

CANADA -- Percy, a six-month-old border collie/Jack Russell terrier cross, is blind and could lose both of his eyes after his owner's child deliberately rubbed hair dye into them.

The little black-and-white puppy should have naturally brown eyes but they are now clouded over with a bluish haze after he was left to suffer for three days with the dye burning his eyes.

A neighbour noticed the puppy, blind and in agony, and called the local RCMP in the unidentified northern community when the owner refused to help the dog. The RCMP apprehended the dog, which was then flown on Monday free of charge by Perimeter Aviation to Winnipeg, where he was turned over to Manitoba Underdogs Rescue.

"The dog needed urgent medical care. He had received no medical attention, nothing. Really, really scary," said assistant executive director Deanne Peterson. She said the child, an eight-year-old girl, put the hair dye in the dog's eyes on Friday. The neighbour and RCMP intervened on Monday.

Percy was "scared, confused, and in pain" when he arrived, Peterson said.

She said Percy is now safe with MUR volunteers who are caring for him while the Southglen Veterinary Hospital is providing medical treatment, including an expensive regimen of eye drops to control the pressure in his eyes and remove the dye from inside them. He is no longer in pain.

"After initial treatments and based on his behaviour, he seems like he has partial vision, but we're not sure at this point how bad his vision loss is or how much, if any, he may regain," Peterson said. "We hope that the damage isn't permanent, but going from Friday to Monday without any medical treatment is really serious.

"There's no guarantee he will improve, but we are hopeful he can maintain partial vision. They would have to remove both eyes if the pressure builds up too much."

In the meantime, Percy is living with a foster mom in Oakbank, where he is being treated with love as well as receiving his eye drops several times per day. He had a checkup at Southglen on Wednesday night and seems to be doing OK so far, Peterson said.

"Our primary concern right now is Percy and getting him the care he needs, but we do plan on following up with the RCMP with the case and we do hope there is something that can be done. It's really unfair that people can get away with this sort of thing," Peterson said.

Despite his ordeal, Peterson said Percy is a sweet, friendly little dog.

"It is really difficult for us to have cases like this. It's really unfair an animal like this goes through this trauma when it is 100 per cent avoidable," Peterson said. "It's really about educating people about why caring for animals in a compassionate way is so important. This applies to children, too. That learning does start at a young age with children, so that information and guidance that parents and other adults provide helps to define who they are as they grow up.

"If children see people caring for animals in a loving, compassionate way, that's going to help them turn into loving, compassionate people as adults. That's ultimately what we want to see; people caring for these animals and not putting them through any suffering."

Anyone wishing to assist Percy and make a donation to the Manitoba Underdogs Rescue, which is run by volunteers, is asked to go to its website at manitobaunderdogs.org/donate/. Donations are also being accepted at Southglen Veterinary Hospital.

(Winnipeg Free Press - Feb 12, 2015)