Devastating twist after young Aussie’s trip to popular dog park: ‘Feel so guilty’
India Fergusson said she wants all pet owners to be wary of the dangers of untrained dogs, after a recent experience left an entire Sydney family heartbroken.
A devastated young woman has issued an emotional plea to pet owners around the country after she was forced to euthanise her beloved wheaten terrier, who never recovered from a brutal attack at a popular dog park.
India Fergusson, from Sydney's eastern suburbs, said she was walking her beloved nine-year-old pooch Minty along the off-lead section of Centennial Park in September, when they were approached by a cattle dog. Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Fergusson said she was accompanied by her mum and her second dog Tilly, a dachshund, at the time.
"The sausage dog [Tilly] gets frequently attacked, so we're constantly on alert for dogs coming up to her. But that day this cattle dog just jumped out of its car, and though it seemed pretty calm to begin with, quickly, about two seconds later, beelined for Minty — who kind of looked like a sheep."
Thinking this may have been the reason Minty was targeted, the Sydneysider said the events that followed scarred her for life. "The cattle dog went for her back legs and then took her out from underneath," Fergusson recalled.
"Then when Minty was trying to scramble away, it bit the top of her neck, and in doing so, [momentarily] paralysed her. By that time, the owner had already walked off and kept calling their dog to come — but it was kind of just too late at that point."
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She never saw the owner nor the cattle dog again.
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Fergusson said the family took Minty back home and said although she "was a bit off", she didn't at first appear to be too badly wounded. "She was nine, but she was very fit and ran with Tilly like there was no tomorrow. Then, all of a sudden, she became slow," she said.
"Then overnight, and from then on, she deteriorated rapidly. She couldn't walk, she dug herself holes in the backyard and she took herself off. Minty was a very family oriented dog, she was around people all the time — [but after the attack] just didn't want anything to do with anyone."
Eventually, after three weeks of "being on the strongest available pain medications", the family were advised Minty had no quality of life and the most compassionate option would be to humanely euthanise her. "After weeks, and spending thousands on X-rays to work out what was wrong, the vet said she just wouldn't recover from the trauma. She couldn't even walk," Fergusson said.
On Tuesday, surrounded by loved ones — including both of Fergusson's parents and her siblings — the family said their last goodbyes to Minty. "It's just a shame, it could have been prevented, she shouldn't have been put down yesterday and that's the hardest part to come to terms with," she said.
"I have never experienced a broken heart like this before." Now, Fergusson said she wants to raise awareness about the dangers of untrained and off-leash dogs.
"I don't think I'll ever actually forgive myself for letting the dog attack her and this being the outcome of it. I feel so guilty that I let it happen," she said. "I'm not blaming the dog, I'm blaming the owner. It's never the dog's fault. It should have been trained properly, or kept on a lead."
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