Renny — Gaelic for “small but mighty” — was an 8-year-old Maltese. Even though he was small, Allman says he was her “mighty” dog.
Allman was walking Renny at the park on Buehler Road at about 3:45 p.m. on Feb. 12.
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| Renny, an 8-year-old Maltese owned by Mary Allman, is shown just before surgery for injuries suffered in an attack Feb. 12 at Southeast Olney Park. Renny later died. |
“There was no one else around, and Renny had just finished doing his business,” she said. “I was bending over to clean it up, and a golden retriever came out of nowhere and attacked Renny.”
Allman said the larger dog, which she thinks may be named Junior, bit into Renny’s back and was shaking him back and forth violently.
A boy, who she believes may have been named David and is about 16 years old, appeared, and said that his dog, which did not have a leash or collar, had gotten away.
“We were both yelling and screaming for the dog to drop Renny, and then I bent down and picked Renny up,” Allman said. “The golden retriever then came after me and Renny, but ‘David’ put himself between his dog and us.”
Allman had previously suffered a heart attack, and Renny also suffered from heart problems.
“We are both a little wobbly on our feet,” she said. “As soon as I was able, I carried Renny back to our house, and did not see where the large dog or the boy went.”
She took Renny to the Olney-Sandy Spring Veterinary Hospital, where vets diagnosed him with several broken ribs, bruised lungs and multiple wounds on his back and shoulders.
They advised Allman that the dog needed to be transferred to the Hope Advanced Veterinary Center, an emergency veterinary facility in Rockville. Her sister, a nurse, administered oxygen to the dog during the car ride.
“They were so skilled and passionate at the Hope Center,” Allman said. “He made it through the first 48 hours, and I was able to bring him home for one night.”
The following day, she returned to her local vet’s office to have the dog’s dressings changed, and informed the staff that he was not eating.
After consulting with his pet cardiologist and a radiologist, it was determined that he had a punctured lung, which required surgery.
He made it through the surgery and two nights, but on the morning of Feb. 18, Allman received a call from the vet telling her that Renny had died.
Allman is distraught to have lost her loyal companion, but is focused on finding the golden retriever.
She notified the police the day following the attack, and an officer went to her home to take a report.
Officer Jeanette Wright of the Montgomery County Police Department Animal Services Division said the case is under investigation.
“We don’t have a lot of information because we don’t know who the dog is, or who the owner is,” she said. “If anyone has any information, they should call us at 240-773-5900.”
Allman has driven around the neighborhood, searching for a golden retriever named Junior, and a teenager named David, to no avail.
She plans to post fliers around her Hallowell neighborhood once the snow clears, and has arranged for a notice to be distributed through her homeowners association newsletter and online communication.
A neighbor has posted the information on the Facebook page for the Friends of the Olney Dog Park.
“I just want to follow through to make sure that the dog is safe and does not have access to any other dog or child who it could hurt,” Allman said.
She also would like to speak to the owner to see if he would be willing to help with Renny’s medical bills, which total more than $7,700.
(Gazette.Net: Maryland Community News Online - Feb 24, 2015)
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