The story of a family dog believed to have been mauled by a raccoon in a Trail park earlier this week has ended in a very surprising – but nonetheless happy – ending.
Lucy, a 10-year old Shih Tzu, was found alive by a Good Samaritan on Thursday and taken to the West Kootenay BC SPCA for treatment, John Craig confirmed to the Trail Times early Saturday.
The Craigs picked her up from a veterinarian office in Castlegar Friday night and Lucy is now home recovering.
“She’s not out of the woods yet,” said John. “She’s really torn up, but she’s alive.”
Lucy’s ordeal all began early Thursday morning. She was on her usual morning trek along a pathway between Gyro Park and the Trail bridge, with David Craig, John’s brother, and Django, the family’s lab.
READ MORE: Family dog reported killed by raccoons near Trail park
Django ran off the trail about eight feet, David told the Times that morning, and began barking. Lucy followed the bigger dog into the tall grass and could not retreat quickly, like Django could, when the pair ran into three raccoons.
When David went into the marshy area to see what was going on, he recalled seeing Lucy being mauled by the wild animals.
Shaken, and unable to retrieve Lucy from the pack, he grabbed Django and headed back home to tell the family what had happened.
It wasn’t until later they found out Lucy somehow managed to survive the attack and someone, unknown at this point, found the little dog and took her for medical care.
“They put her on an IV and there’s lot’s of pain management, stitches and swelling,” John said. “And there’s still a chance she could get a serious infection, so she’s also on antibiotics. But she’s happy, and she’s happy to be back home.”
Lucy’s tale serves a warning to anyone walking their dogs in Gyro Park this summer to keep their dogs on-leash.
“I got hold of the City of Trail and they will be posting signage regarding the aggressive raccoons in Gyro Park, so that dog walkers can be aware of the situation,” said Kyle Bueckert, Conservation Officer in the West Kootenay Zone.
“It’s advised that dog walkers in Gyro Park keep their dogs on leash while walking them (anywhere) in Gyro Park, especially for the foreseeable future as those raccoons will likely still be in the park.”
