Oceanside RCMP says they won’t be pressing charges after a man stabbed a dog with a machete in Coombs this past week.
The dog’s owner, Adam Perret, says it happened on Thursday along a rural trail at the end of Grafton Road in Coombs.
Police say they’ve been told the dog was being aggressive.
Perret says his two dogs were running off leash when he heard a yelp and then saw his dog Magic running back towards him with severe facial wounds.
“I looked, and I could see his face hanging off, and the guy was standing right here with the machete,” said Perret.
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Perret says he took a picture of the couple about 25 metres away. It shows the man holding a machete after he stabbed Magic along the Coombs trail.
They walked away in the opposite direction and Perret then called the RCMP.
“The guy didn’t even say call your dog. He didn’t give me the opportunity to even protect the animal. It’s really unfortunate, and it’s really sad,” said Perret.
Oceanside RCMP directed Perret to the i-Care Veterinary Hospital, where a veterinarian cleaned the wound and put in two layers of stitches.
“I was expecting an injury that was much more severe, so I was quite happy that it was just a big slice in the side of the head. The nature of the skull was so much that it deflected off quite nicely,” said Dr. Alastair Westcott, a veterinarian and surgeon at the animal hospital.
Because Perret could not afford the pricey procedure, the hospital dipped into its internal heart fund, which helps animal owners who are not able to pay for emergency care. The fund, which comes from donations, covered the majority of the $2,000 vet bill.
“I’m lucky they even footed the bill at the animal hospital. I’m poor. I live out of a truck and camper. I’m on disability. I have no money. $1,500 a month doesn’t go very far,” said Perret.
Conflicting reports
Oceanside RCMP says shortly after Perret called to report the incident, they got called by the couple involved with a different version of events.
They say the dog approached the man aggressively and bit him in the leg. He told police it was only then he stabbed the dog with a machete he happened to be carrying.
Oceanside RCMP says it won’t be pressing charges. Perret says he’s not happy with that decision.
“A guy shouldn’t get away with whacking a dog in the face in the forest with a machete. You could’ve pepper-sprayed him. You could’ve picked up a rock and thrown a rock at him,” said Perret.
“You could’ve picked up a stick and thrown a stick at him. You could’ve said, hey, call your dog.”
Perret says the man didn’t tell him he had been bitten, and he questions whether it actually happened.
Police say it’s important to keep your dog under control at all times.
Perret says Magic is expected to make a full recovery.
Coastal Animal Control says no one had reported the incident to them as of the deadline for this story.
The incident happened in the same region where an alleged wolf dog roamed before it was allegedly shot and killed in March.
Kendall Hanson
