Bring joy back to Ilo!
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Earlier this morning (7/31/14), my dog, Ilo, and my dad were attacked by another dog in our neighborhood who was being walked by his owner without a leash. My dad and Ilo were going for their daily morning walk when the dog attacked Ilo, taking off chunks of her shoulder and neck. My dad was also bit trying to pry the dog’s jaws from Ilo’s body. Upon bringing the dog to the vet, we found out that she had suffered massive internal bleeding and went in for surgery. Stents were also put in place.
Unfortunately, the cost of saving her life is much more than we can afford. The bills are projected to reach between around $1,000, assuming that no more complications come up. This is where I plead for your help: if you can spare anything at all to help pay for Ilo’s medical bills, I would be forever in your debt. Both my parents and myself are in dire straits financially, living paycheck to paycheck normally. Now, with this emergency, finances will be ever more strained.
The police are involved, as well as the town dog officer, who also found that the owner could not procure any papers on his dog. That means that there is no way to know if the dog has been vaccinated against things such as rabies, requiring Ilo to remain on our property for at least 45 days. Which means no walks for a long time. My dad may also face medical implications if the dog is found to have no vaccinations.
The dog officer gave the man 24 hours to procure the papers. I’m not sure yet what could happen if he does or does not find the papers, but hopefully he will be facing legal ramifications. He has claimed that the dog was on a leash and got loose during the walk, but several witnesses of the attack say that he was walking the dog without a leash and has done so many times in the past. It is also rumored that he keeps his dogs in a garage and kicks them when they misbehave. I’m not sure if that is entirely true, but regardless, he violated multiple laws on many levels by walking the dog without a leash and not having the dog vaccinated or registered with a vet.
Ilo is a 3-year-old Finnish Spitz who loves going for walks, playing in our front yard, and generally being adorable. My family is Finnish, and we named her Ilo because ‘ilo’ is the Finnish word for joy. She certainly epitomizes that word.
As a note, the dog who attacked was a pitbull, which unfortunately does not help the breed’s reputation. I do not believe that this was the dog’s fault- pitties can be extremely loving, obedient, and loyal if treated with love and respect. Clearly the owner is at fault for the dog’s behavior, and I hope that the dog will not be put down but instead brought to a shelter where he or she can be trained and taught how to be less angry and find a loving home. If he is not legally held responsible for his actions, we may consider pressing charges on our own. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that- lawyers are expensive.
Right now there is no way to tell what will happen, but I will keep you all posted. Thank you all for your continued support.
Here are more pictures of Ilo being the ray of sunshine she is:
Unfortunately, the cost of saving her life is much more than we can afford. The bills are projected to reach between around $1,000, assuming that no more complications come up. This is where I plead for your help: if you can spare anything at all to help pay for Ilo’s medical bills, I would be forever in your debt. Both my parents and myself are in dire straits financially, living paycheck to paycheck normally. Now, with this emergency, finances will be ever more strained.
The police are involved, as well as the town dog officer, who also found that the owner could not procure any papers on his dog. That means that there is no way to know if the dog has been vaccinated against things such as rabies, requiring Ilo to remain on our property for at least 45 days. Which means no walks for a long time. My dad may also face medical implications if the dog is found to have no vaccinations.
The dog officer gave the man 24 hours to procure the papers. I’m not sure yet what could happen if he does or does not find the papers, but hopefully he will be facing legal ramifications. He has claimed that the dog was on a leash and got loose during the walk, but several witnesses of the attack say that he was walking the dog without a leash and has done so many times in the past. It is also rumored that he keeps his dogs in a garage and kicks them when they misbehave. I’m not sure if that is entirely true, but regardless, he violated multiple laws on many levels by walking the dog without a leash and not having the dog vaccinated or registered with a vet.
Ilo is a 3-year-old Finnish Spitz who loves going for walks, playing in our front yard, and generally being adorable. My family is Finnish, and we named her Ilo because ‘ilo’ is the Finnish word for joy. She certainly epitomizes that word.
As a note, the dog who attacked was a pitbull, which unfortunately does not help the breed’s reputation. I do not believe that this was the dog’s fault- pitties can be extremely loving, obedient, and loyal if treated with love and respect. Clearly the owner is at fault for the dog’s behavior, and I hope that the dog will not be put down but instead brought to a shelter where he or she can be trained and taught how to be less angry and find a loving home. If he is not legally held responsible for his actions, we may consider pressing charges on our own. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that- lawyers are expensive.
Right now there is no way to tell what will happen, but I will keep you all posted. Thank you all for your continued support.
Here are more pictures of Ilo being the ray of sunshine she is:
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Kirsti Isokungas
Organizer
Fitchburg, MA
