A Vreed-en-Hoop man’s alleged attack on his elderly neighbour’s dog has left the animal with one of her hind legs amputated.
The attack occurred on November 17th, when the dog, ‘Trudy,’ was let out of 72-year-old Victoria Da Costa’s home at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara.
According to Shalini Singh, who helps Da Costa to take care of her pets, the attack stemmed from an accusation that the dog was taking eggs and chickens from the neighbour’s farm. “This guy has chickens. He claimed that he lost his eggs and chickens and was accusing another neighbour. That neighbour took a picture of her dog and showed the man that it wasn’t her dog. Victoria, on the other hand, has three dogs. He never complained to her about her animals,” Singh said.
The woman went on to say that to her knowledge, Da Costa and the accused would communicate but the man never told her of his suspicions about her animal.
Singh said that on the day of the attack, Da Costa’s son let the dog out of the house and the dog went out on to the roadway and the neighbour went with a cutlass and chopped the animal. “…He went with his cutlass and chopped her on the road; he hasn’t caught the dog in the act,” Singh noted.
The animal’s left hind leg was nearly severed as a result of the attack.
The woman said that the accused was told that the dog who has been taking his eggs and chickens is a brown dog. “He hear that it’s a brown dog but they have different kind of brown—dark brown, caramel brown, light brown, deep brown—and he didn’t differentiate what shade the dog was and he just chopped the dog,” she added.
After the attack, Da Costa contacted Singh and told her what had occurred. Singh then rushed over to the woman’s home and then made a report to the police. The dog was taken to a veterinarian and the wounded leg was subsequently amputated.
Subsequent to reports being made, the neighbour was charged with inflicting a serious injury to a dog. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $20,000 bail.
Singh later told Stabroek News that she is grateful for the support from the police and other organisations. “The police are very much involved and we’re happy for that as she (Da Costa) is going through a lot right now
Last Saturday, Da Costa’s dog underwent a third surgery after the attack.