ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — For weeks, a beagle that lived at the end of Campbell Avenue in St. John’s was left to its own accord in the backyard where he barked and paced trying to attract attention, local residents say.
The dog was on a leash at first — and then it wasn’t — setting the stage for what came next.
Unfortunately, that was not the end the local residents were hoping for.
The young beagle was struck and killed by a vehicle as it was crossing the street, where it seemed it was trying to meet up with another dog on the other side.
Mitch Ghaney, a resident of the street, said it was sad to see how quickly the dog’s life came to an end.
“The last going off the dog was left off its leash and when he saw a lady and a dog on the other side of the street, he did what most dogs do, go to make a friend,’’ he said.
“That dash across the road was costly, as he was struck on the spot and lay there with his head crushed — brains and blood oozing everywhere. We did what we could to ease his pain, but it didn’t take long until he was gone.”
"We did what we could to ease his pain, but it didn’t take long until he was gone.” — Mitch Ghaney
In the days prior to the dog’s death, Ghaney’s girlfriend, Morgan, called both the RNC and the City of St. John’s, but nothing was done to quiet the dog or look into its situation. Ghaney said they were not the only ones who tried to get help for the beagle.
His next-door neighbours called in, as well, as did neighbours from across the road. He blamed the city for a lack of action.
Because they didn’t act fast enough, he said, a dog was killed and the mess — the blood — was just left there for cars to drive through.
“When it was done, the remnants had to be the length of two houses wide,’’ he said.
Ghaney had heard the dog cry earlier that day and went to see if it was OK. At that time there didn’t seem to be anything wrong.
Later in the day, the dog was hit by the car.
“The driver of the car was beside themselves. They didn’t know what to do,’’ he added.
Ghaney grabbed a towel to go and cover the dog.
“I picked it up and moved it off the road,’’ Ghaney said. “I had to put it off the road.”
Ghaney’s neighbour, Llewellyn Thomas, was also vocal about the loss of the beagle.
“I heard a big commotion and my son saw what happened. I asked him, and he said the dog just got hit by the car,’’ Thomas said.
Some of the residents said they went to tell the dog’s owner that the dog was hit, and the owner just came out and scooped up the dog’s remains and took it away.
Later that evening, one of the neighbours observed the owner tossing a garbage bag in the bushes behind a building near his home.
A resident collected the bag, and called humane services to come and pick it up for disposal — a service that was carried out by the SPCA St. John's..
"The resident contacted us at the SPCA St. John’s to ask for assistance, and of course, we assisted," Christa Skinner said in an email on Wednesday.
"Myself and a colleague were actually the ones who went to collect the dog’s remains, as all our animal care staff were tied up with other animals in the shelter,'' she added.
RNC media relations officer Const. James Cadigan said he checked but could not find a record of any calls about the incident.
Cadigan said that when calls are received about allegations of animal cruelty or neglect, the matter is investigated.
The City of St. John’s said it did receive calls from residents on Campbell Avenue regarding a deceased animal on the road and that city staff responded to find that the animal had already been removed.
