Residents in the South Park area of Morgantown are expressing concerns about dogs seen running loose, and at times causing trouble, throughout the neighborhood.
Recent posts to community social media pages show residents’ growing concern about unattended animals in the area and the safety risks they present.
Candice Moench, a Fairmont State professor who recently moved to the area, said she doesn’t live in that particular part of town, but enjoys taking her dogs for walks on the trail near White Park.
While walking late Friday morning, Moench and her two small dogs Baby G, 10, and Maggie, 6, had just turned down Mississippi Street and were on the sidewalk heading back toward their car parked near the Morgantown Ice Arena.
“I don’t know what made me turn around, but I turned around and saw two large dogs running towards us — they looked like labs,” she said. “Within seconds they were on top of my dogs.”
Moench said she had no control after that. “These dogs were determined to kill my dogs for sure — and to hurt me.”
Any attempts she made to pull Baby G and Maggie away from the large dogs just left her bitten, as well.
“Even when I tried to lift my dogs above my head, they were still latched on to my dogs,” she said. “I was really fearful those dogs were gonna turn on me, but I was trying to save my dogs.”
Moench said at that time she was in fear for all three of their lives and was just standing in the middle of the street screaming hysterically.
“I had no control of the situation — I just had to watch my dogs get mauled.”
Hearing her screaming, Moench said three men she didn’t know ran up to help her and were able to get the dogs separated but were having trouble maintaining control of the large dogs.
While the men tried to contain the dogs, Moench said she was able to get her dogs off to the side and sat in the mud by the tree line, in shock. While they were sitting there, one of the dogs got away from the men and came after them again, she said.
Moench said she has been walking dogs her whole life and has experienced issues with other dogs before, but this situation was particularly scary because the dogs would not stop.
Sitting there with Baby G and Maggie, waiting for police and EMS to arrive, Moench said there was blood everywhere, but she didn’t know exactly where it was coming from because all three of them were bleeding. At the time, she thought the dogs had just been bitten — “I didn’t know they were gonna die.”
The owner of the dogs was located and, according to Moench, said the dogs had escaped through the front door.
“They must have seen us walk by because they made a beeline to us,” she said. “I mean, they were not like sniffing grass or out for a gentle walk.”
After speaking with the Morgantown police and being treated by Monongalia EMS, Moench took the dogs for emergency care at Cheat Lake Animal Hospital, where she spent 6-7 hours hoping they would pull through.
“They had busted jaw bones and punctured abdomen and bladder,” she said. “Maggie, the younger one, actually went into surgery and the vet said she was just full of puncture wounds and stuff like that.”
The injuries to the two dogs were too severe and they could not be saved.
Moench realized that her wounds were still bleeding after all that time had passed, so she had to go to J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital to be treated.
“I had superficial bites on my one hand but on my right hand it was pretty deep — I kept trying to reach into this pack of dogs to get my dogs out,” she said. “I’m just so sad that I couldn’t save my dogs — my wounds are fine.”
MPD officials said the dog warden responded to the scene and issued the owner of the dogs that were running loose a citation and the dogs were placed in quarantine.
Moench said she had concerns that the dogs were immediately given back to the owner.
“Anytime there is a dog bite in Monongalia County, the dog is quarantined,” said Dana Johnson, director of the Monongalia County Canine Adoption Center, which handles all dog-related issues in the area. “If the dog has an owner, it can be quarantined at home.”
Johnson said in most cases, dogs are able to quarantine at home to try to keep them out of the shelter, because a dog taking up a kennel could cost another dog its life.
According to Johnson, the incident involving Moench was still under investigation and there was not a lot she could comment on in relation to that case.
She did say her department was not aware until several days after the attack that Moench’s dogs had died.
“If they had killed those dogs right there on the rail-trail, things may have gone a little differently,” she said. “As far as we knew it was a dog-on-dog attack with a dog bite.”
Acknowledging that Moench’s situation was a little different, Johnson reminds the community that there is a leash law in Monongalia County, and a state requirement for all dogs to receive rabies vaccinations.
“There is a leash law throughout the entire county, so even on the rail-trail you cannot let your dogs run beside you without a lead,” she said. “The dog warden will check all dogs involved in any incident, so even if your dog is not the one running at large, you will still be checked to make sure you have a proper vaccination record.”
Moench hopes that Baby G and Maggie will be able to get some justice and she will get some help with the expensive vet and medical bills from the incident.
“The trauma alone — I mean it was just unbelievable to feel that unsafe,” Moench said, adding that “something needs to be done — what if those were two children?”
“If you are in an emergency situation where you fear for your dog’s life or for your own life, you need to call 9-1-1,” Johnson said. “If it is just a dog running around the neighborhood that isn’t really causing any problems or if you know it is a neighborhood dog, call the Canine Center at 304-291-7267 and make a running at large complaint.”
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