A GoFundMe page set up to help pay for an attacked dog's veterinary bills has exceeded its goal thanks to community support.
As of noon Monday, the page set up to help Vici, a Greyhound, raised $4,500. The goal for the campaign was $3,500. Vici faces a long road to recovery after being attacked by another dog on a Windsor street Friday night.
The attack took place on Ouellette Avenue near Ellis Street. Joe McParland, Vici's owner, was walking her and another dog and wearing headphones when he felt a pull on his arm and saw movement out of the corner of his eye. McParland told BlackburnNewsWindsor.com that when he turned his head to see what was happening, he was horrified at what he saw -- a pit bull-type dog with its mouth around Vici.
"It was clamped around Vici's neck and there was blood coming everywhere," said McParland. "This thing's full weight was hanging from Vici's neck because the Greyhound's a much bigger dog than she was."
McParland said he grabbed the attacking animal and credits an adrenaline rush with prying the dog's teeth off of Vici, convinced that Vici would have died after a few more seconds. A man who said he was the attacker's owner came running across the street and tried to take the dog away before police arrived on scene.
"He attempted to engage me in a fight," said McParland. "At the same time a friend of his was right on his tail, and noting that there was a pretty significant size parity between me and this dude, he advised his friend not to throw a punch at me."
Police and an ambulance arrived, and bystanders came running from the Tim Hortons across the street to help. McParland said he was injured in the attack and was treated by paramedics on the spot. He soon rushed Vici to a nearby animal hospital.
According to a Facebook update on her condition, Vici suffered a fever and was treated with antibiotics and strong pain medication throughout the weekend. McParland said Vici has a long road to recovery but has improved enough to go home within another day or two.
McParland said on his Facebook page that he was contacted by someone who said her dog was attacked by the same animal earlier Friday near Windsor Fire Headquarters, and the dog's owner is known to police for various issues.
The attacking dog has been placed under a twelve-day quarantine by city bylaw officers at the Windsor-Essex County Humane Society. McParland said it tested negative for rabies.
McParland added that money raised from the GoFundMe page will also help support the Humane Society, as well as the Greyhound Pets of America, a non-profit group that rescues Greyhound dogs and finds homes for them after they are retired from racing.