MONROE, CT — What started as a hike with his dog at Webb Mountain one Monday afternoon in June, ended with Ryan Blanchette rushing back to his car, while holding his injured chihuahua mix. The dog was covered with blood after its stomach was ripped open by an attack from a larger dog.
Blanchette told police he was walking down the hill with his dog, Harpo, on a leash, when an unleashed rottweiler ran up and attacked his pet.
A woman, with long, straight brown hair who appeared to be in her 30s, had parked her white SUV and got out of her vehicle with her two dogs off leash, including the rottweiler, according to the police complaint made on June 16.
Police said Blanchette broke up the fight and, in his haste to get medical treatment for his dog, did not get the name of the rottweiler’s owner.
“My son picked up Harpo, whose stomach was wide open, and brought him down to the car,” said Sally Blanchette of Monroe. “He didn’t have time to exchange numbers. She clearly saw Harpo — and her dog had blood all over him. It was loud,” Sally added of the attack.”
Sally said a clearly marked sign by the parking lot tells visitors, “All Dogs Must Be Leashed.”
Blanchette brought his injured pet to the Countryside Veterinary Hospital on Route 110, whose staff wrapped up the dog’s wounds, before immediately sending it off to surgery at VCA Shoreline Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center in Shelton.
“Harpo had a perforated collapsed lung, a perforated colon and a hernia, requiring over 60 stitches,” Sally recalled. “They were wonderful,” she said of VCA Shoreline’s staff. “They gave him a 50/50 chance of surviving.”
“Animal control is attempting to locate the other owner and the dog involved in this incident,” said Police Lt. Kevin McKellick.
Anyone with information on the incident at Webb Mountain on June 16 is encouraged to call the Monroe Police Department at 203-261-3622.
Enforcing park rules
In her eight years as Monroe’s Parks and Recreation director, Missy Orosz said she doesn’t remember anything like the incident that took place on June 16. She said the “unfortunate” dog-on-dog attack was an isolated incident.
“That isn’t something that normally happens,” Orosz said.
According to Webb Mountain’s rules for dogs, all dogs must be on a leash no longer than seven feet; dogs must have a rabies vaccination and current license and owners must show proof upon request; there is one dog allowed per campsite; dogs must be attended at all times, and owners must clean up after their pets.
When applying for a camping permit, Monroe Parks and Recreation Department staff members remind people of the leash rule, as well as other park rules. If there is a problem, campers are encouraged to call the police or the Parks and Recreation office, according to Orosz.
She said once in a while campers will call her office to complain about other campers bringing their dogs to the park off leash.
“Our park ranger and police monitor the area, but have other areas to monitor,” she said. “The park ranger makes his rounds a lot. He also patrols Wolfe Park, Great Hollow Lake and Lake Zoar.”
Orosz said the park ranger is on duty five days a week, so when he’s not on, either she or a police officer will take turns driving through the park.
Orosz said she tours the park to check on things such as whether or not picnic tables are safe to use, if a railing needs to be fixed, the grass needs cutting or that the company managing the urinals cleans the units regularly. She also takes the opportunity to say hello to campers.
“If I see someone walking with a dog off leash, I let them know who I am and say, ‘please leash your dog,'” Orosz said. “But typically, we don’t get a lot of calls like that, because most people follow the rules.”
The parks director said she only remembers seeing someone with their dog unleashed five or six times in the past eight years.
“The leash rule is for the safety of the visitors in the park,” Orosz said. “Some families are dog people and some families are not dog people. Some dogs don’t get along with other dogs. I just want everyone, who visits the park to be safe and have fun.”
Harpo is recovering
Harpo, a rescue from Georgia, is 10-years-old. Sally Blanchette said her family is now trying to pay a surgical bill of over $17,000, while their dog recovers.
“That was kind of our retirement savings,” said Blanchette, a town resident of 40 years. “A nice person in Monroe I don’t even know set up a GoFundMe.”
Her son, Ryan, put up signs at Webb Mountain to let people know about the June 16 incident and to call police if they have information.
“We just don’t want it to happen to another animal and we’d like her to come forward and help pay the $17,000 bill,” Sally Blanchette said 0f the other dog owner.
Of the need to follow the leash rule, she said, “I want to get the word out there. I’d hate to ruin it for other people.”
Blanchette remembers how her family had to hide their tennis balls, because Harpo used to chase the balls all day. Now, she said he’s been more sedate during the healing process.
“Harpo is recovering from all the trauma,” she said. “He’s on a lot of medications. We’re by his side 24/7. His tail’s wagging a little. When he sees Ryan, he’s very happy.”
After the surgery, Blanchette said veterinary staff told her Harpo’s life should eventually be like it was before.
She remembers making the decision for her dog to undergo the serious surgery. “It was traumatic,” Blanchette said. “We love our dog so much, we didn’t even think of yes or no, it was yes.”
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We have also seen dogs off leash at Great Hollow Lake. When we remind owners of the rule, we have been laughed at. It is a shame Monroe’s outdoor spaces have become unsafe in this way 🙁