GRAND TRACADIE, P.E.I. — Animal protection officers are investigating a complaint of two large dogs on the loose in the Grand Tracadie area Thursday killing a cat and a bunny.
Jennifer Harkness, development and communications manager with the P.E.I. Humane Society, says if the dogs are deemed a threat to the community, dangerous dog proceedings under the provincial Dog Act could take place.
She adds such proceedings are usually a lengthy process, which can result in a range of outcomes, including the dogs being required to be muzzled whenever off their owner’s property to having the animals euthanized.
“Dogs at large, sometimes in groups, can have prey drive,’’ says Harkness.
“Take the steps to make sure your dog is not getting loose and being at large.’’
Sydonia Rose Skerry says the dogs were roaming for at least two hours, making their way through many yards, a playground and a campground before they were rounded up by the owner or owners.
“But unfortunately, the damage had already been done,’’ she wrote on a Facebook post.
“While loose in the community these two large dogs came onto my property and attacked my pet bunnies that were in pens in our garage. It grabbed our baby (rabbit) Lola by the neck and mangled it until she was killed.’’
Skerry believes the dogs would have killed the rest of her pet bunnies if her mother had not scared the animals away after hearing the commotion in the garage.
She says neighbours also found their pet cat mangled to death in their front yard within an hour of Skerry’s bunny being killed.
Harkness says the Humane Society is aware of the bunny being killed but animal protection officers have yet to talk to the cat owner.
Skerry told The Guardian Friday that she does not want to see the dogs euthanized but does want them kept under control and not allowed to roam free.
“I just know for a fact without a doubt that these dogs are a danger to the community’s small pets,’’ she says.
“Because they have a history of repeatedly roaming free, I know it’s just a matter of time before it happens again, and next time could be even worse than the last.’’
