Sask. woman ‘helpless’ after dog killed by neighbour’s pet

Sadness, frustration and confusion are just some of the emotions Sheila Briere has after her little dog Banjo was viciously attacked and killed by a neighbour’s pet.

Briere lives on a rural property in the RM of Stonehenge with her husband Neil and their two dogs, Banjo and Mickey.

On Saturday, Neil was getting home from a hunting trip in the evening and as he hopped out of his truck, so did Banjo – a seven-pound “morkie,” a cross between a Yorkshire terrier and maltese.

“Neil went to go grab a piece of driftwood from the back of the truck when (our neighbour’s dog) Coon shot out of the trees, grabbed a hold of Banjo and ripped him in half,” Sheila said while trying to hold back tears.

“There was nothing left from his shoulders (to his) back, and he was crawling along the ground … my husband chased (Coon) and then had to deal with Banjo.”

Briere said when her husband went to the neighbour’s house, the man laughed at him and said Coon – a Great Pyrenees upwards of 100 pounds — is “not a dangerous dog.”

She said Neil went to the RCMP in Assiniboia and spoke with an officer who reportedly told them the police couldn’t do anything about it as it was a civil matter.

“Nobody wanted to take responsibility or help,” she said.

That’s when Briere did some research and found out there is legislation in place on the control of dangerous animals; however, the RM does not enforce that when its law.

Dog roams the land

Briere said it’s not the first time her neighbour’s dog has gone off his property and onto theirs.

“He chases every vehicle that drives by,” she said. “I’ve even been out in the garden and he’s circled me and scared the bejeezus out of me.”

She added the dog has nipped at people and the owner won’t do anything about it. Briere noted the RM has been notified about events in the past and the owner just “chains the dog up then takes it off after a week or so has passed.”

She said, for the most part, Coon has been just a nuisance until the recent tragedy.

Feels helpless

Briere said she doesn’t know who to turn to for help.

She said she will attend the local council meeting on Monday to see what the RM will say about what happened to her beloved pet.

Briere hopes that this won’t happen again, but if it does, that there’s a policy in place and a clear way to report a vicious animal.

RCMP provides update

Assiniboia RCMP detachment Command Sgt. Donnie Duplissea told 980 CJME there is an active investigation. Duplissea added he personally spoke with the Brieres about the case and now it’s at the hands of the investigators. Duplissea would not comment whether he has spoken with the neighbours or the RM as the matter is under investigation.