A young pet owner was left devastated after her dog was brutally attacked and had to be put down.
India Fergusson was walking her nine-year-old Wheaten terrier Minty in a lead-free section of Centennial Park in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in September.
Mrs Fergusson said Yahoo News She was with her mother walking Minty and her dachshund Tilly when suddenly a cattle dog jumped out of a car and ran towards them.
“(Tilly) is attacked frequently, so we are constantly on the lookout for dogs approaching her.”
“But that day, this sheepdog jumped out of his car and, although at first he seemed quite calm, he quickly, about two seconds later, headed straight for Minty, who looked like a sheep.”
Fergusson said the sheepdog targeted Minty’s hind legs and then “took her out from under her.”
“Then, as Minty was trying to escape, he bit her on the top of her neck and in doing so paralyzed her (momentarily).
Mrs Fergusson (pictured) was with her mother walking Minty and her dachshund Tilly when suddenly a cattle dog jumped out of a car and ran towards them.
Fergusson and his family said a tearful goodbye to their beloved Minty, a wheaten terrier, on Tuesday (file image)
Fergusson said that after the attack, the owner walked away and was calling to the cattle dog.
Fergusson and her mother took Minty home and she initially did not appear to be seriously injured.
‘Then, overnight, and from then on, it deteriorated rapidly. “He couldn’t walk, he dug holes in the backyard and left,” Mrs Fergusson said.
Before the attack, Fergusson said Minty was a very people-oriented dog, but after the wild encounter she kept to herself.
Although Minty was taking strong painkillers, the vet said she would never recover from the trauma of the attack and had no quality of life because she couldn’t walk.
It was recommended that the most humane option was to euthanize Minty and end her suffering.
The family said a tearful goodbye to Minty on Tuesday.
“I’ve never experienced a heartbreak like this before,” Mrs Fergusson said.
Devastated by the loss of her beloved Minty, Fergusson wants to raise awareness about the dangers of off-leash and untrained dogs.
‘I don’t blame the dog, I blame the owner. It’s never the dog’s fault. He should have been trained properly or kept on a leash.
Centennial Park is one of the most dog-friendly parks in Sydney, with more than 30 per cent of Parklands open space designated off-leash.
He Centennial parks The website states that a person must not “bring any animal (being an animal that is not prohibited from being on Trust land) unless it is under the effective control of a competent person by means of a suitable chain, cord, leash or cage” .
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Greater Sydney Parklands for comment.
Centennial Park is one of the most dog-friendly parks in Sydney, with more than 30 per cent of Parklands open space designated off-leash (file image)
