A pair of Bow Ridge neighbours are at odds over a July 13 incident involving the two party’s dogs, which resulted in one pet losing its life.
Barry Knobbe contacted the Eagle on two occasions, by email and phone, claiming the neighbour’s dog, a blue heeler/border collie/ husky cross, Pippin, owned by the McLeod family, had ‘attacked and killed’ his pug/Chihuahua, Mr. Gadget.
“My dog was out for a pee when the neighbours returned home, opened their vehicle door and their dog ran over and attacked and killed my dog,” Knobbe indicated in the email.
Mr. Gadget was taken to Arrowhead Veterinary Clinic where Knobbe said it was pronounced dead.
The McLeod family, however, saw things somewhat differently from how Knobbe described it.
Nancy McLeod, who was exiting her vehicle with Pippin when the encounter occurred, said it was in fact Mr. Gadget that was the aggressor, biting her dog on the nose, in turn prompting a reaction from Pippin.
The McLeod family has also stated that no member of the deceased dog’s family even witnessed the incident, and that Mr. Gadget was roaming around on the sidewalk, unattended and unleashed.
Tracie Unrau, a veterinarian at Arrowhead, said she could not comment on how the dog died, or any other facts about the incident, saying the case is still ongoing with the Town of Cochrane. Unrau also could not confirm who at the clinic cared for, or even saw Mr. Gadget or what was the extent of its injuries.
Two of Pippin’s owners, Nancy and Daniel McLeod, said that since the incident they have been treated somewhat disapprovingly in their neighbourhood, due to what they believe to be negative information being spread by Knobbe.
Knobbe said that many in the community are wary of Pippin, and feel the dog could be a threat.
“I am very hurt by this and so are a lot of our neighbours and their kids,” said Knobbe, “they all liked Mr. Gadget very much.”
The McLeod family had an assessment done on Pippin July 22. The assessment was conducted by Larry Neilson of Konfident Kanines, which has been training and assessing dogs for over 30 years.
“There’s nothing within this dog that I saw that was alarming,” said Neilson. “There were no signs of aggression whatsoever.”
Neilson assessed Pippin for two hours and said the dog appeared to be confident and independent.
Through a series of tests, Neilson said Pippin showed no signs of adverse behaviour.
“I suspect this may be a one-off,” Neilson said of the incident between Pippin and Mr. Gadget.
Neilson said that with the size difference between Pippin and Mr. Gadget, had Pippin wanted to chew or tear the smaller dog up, he could have, but from what he has been told, did not.
Neilson also said that Pippin lives with another male dog, a 12-year-old purebred border collie, and has shown no aggression toward it.
Charlene Ruttle, a municipal bylaw officer for the Town of Cochrane, responded to the scene at Bow Ridge Drive.
“Municipal enforcement conducted a thorough investigation and charges have been laid,” said Ruttle, “including causing the death of another animal.”
Because the incident is headed to court, Ruttle also would not comment any further.
Nancy indicated that she has yet to receive a fine for the incident, and that with the matter now going to court, the fate of the fine and Pippin would be decided there.
Knobbe said part of the reason he is so upset is because neither he nor any member of his family have received an apology since the dog altercation.
The McLeod family said they have not neglected to relay an apology, but are simply rather adhering to the request of both RCMP and bylaw officers to avoid contact with anyone at the Knobbe residence.
The matter will appear in Cochrane court Aug. 23
