Puppy dies after being attacked by three dogs

Sunday morning, Lucie Gauthier was walking her dog Betty Boop, on a leash, when she saw two American bulldogs and a pitbull jump on her Yorkie.

They came suddenly. I heard a death cry. I tried to pull on the leash, to take it, but I couldn’t. I failed in my tasksays Lucie Gauthier, crying her heart out.

In shock to see her dog attacked, Lucie Gauthier fell backwards and was taken to hospital. He was diagnosed with a concussion.

Betty Boop had crushed ribs and she was losing air, it was coming out through the holes [des morsures] , says the Trifluvienne, with a lot of emotion in her voice. Betty Boop succumbed to her injuries hours after the attack on Sunday.

” Everything is broken. That’s what I call a doggie Sunday morning “

A broken patio door

The three dogs that attacked the Yorkie belong to a neighbor of Lucie Gauthier, Véronique Peeters.

When the attack happened on Sunday, Véronique Peeters was not at home. She had gone out for an errand a few steps from her house, but her patio door was not locked.

My patio door won’t lock. I have to put a wooden stick. My dogs were inside yesterday and I left for 15 minutes. When I came back and a neighbor told me what happened, I was traumatized remembers Véronique Peeters, with tears in her eyes.

According to Véronique Peeters, only one of her three dogs attacked Betty Boop. Although she did not witness the attack, she believes it was her oldest dog, Picarro, a 12-year-old pit bull, who bit the Yorkie after he managed to escape from the apartment.

Reached by Radio-Canada, the owner of the building where Véronique Peeters resides, Martin Darveau, affirms that he did not know that the patio door was defective. He had only been warned for the mosquito net to be changed and he refused to do so, because, he said, with three large dogs, it would constantly have to be done again.

Picarro himself was bitten when he was 5 years old. He was also bitten by a tick. He took medication, we stopped him, then we started him again a few days ago. I don’t know if that’s what disturbed him to the point of attacking a dog. I don’t understand. In 12 years he just gave kisses all his life says Véronique Peeters.

Véronique Peeters’ other two dogs are American bulldogs. Every evening, she claims to take individual walks with each of her three dogs.

” I intended to keep Picarro until he died, but does it make sense to keep a dog that bit a smaller one? I do not know. “

The owner of the three dogs says she is devastated by the events. She still hopes not to lose custody of her three dogs, especially my baby, the youngest, he is salvageable she argues.

However, she assures that she will respect the opinions of professionals on the matter and is aware that her pit bull risks being euthanized. This is what Lucie Gauthier is asking for.

I will spank in the heap

The owner of Betty Boop had been dreading the three dogs for a while, because she often saw them in a front enclosure that Véronique Peeters had built.

Neighbors also told Radio-Canada that they had fears about the security of the enclosure.

In the past, the former owner, Patrick Charlebois, had received notices of non-compliance for the enclosure from the City, but was never able to resolve the situation, because the tenant was not cooperating, according to his say.

Lucie Gauthier plans to file a complaint with the police. The law in the houses is two dogs and three cats. I want the three dogs gone, the fence gone. I know she’s in pain too, but her pain is worth as much as mine claims Lucie Gauthier.

She asks for the euthanasia of the three dogs of the tenant and considers that pit bulls should be prohibited.

The one who lost her dog in the last hours wants the laws to change and believes that the City of Trois-Rivières has failed in its responsibilities by accepting the enclosure and the three dogs of Véronique Peeters.

She asks for a meeting with the mayor of Trois-Rivières, Jean Lamarche.

The file will be transferred to the Society for the Protection of Animals. A request to quarantine the biting dog will be sent to the tenant pending a behavioral evaluation by veterinarians.

After which, the expert’s report will be submitted to the City, which will decide the fate of the dog.

The enclosure could be dismantled

The City of Trois-Rivières says it has not received any complaints about the situation that prevailed at Véronique Peeters. Thus, according to the City, there was no way of knowing that there was an illegal enclosure in front of the house.

However, this type of installation is prohibited. There should therefore be an intervention that could lead to the dismantling of the enclosure.

The City adds that no permit had been requested for the installation.

With information from Maude Montembeault