NEW ORLEANS — A New Orleans woman says her dog died by the jaws of an off-leash dog, she's now pleading with dog owners to keep their pets on a leash when out and about. According to Louisiana SPCA the number of dog attacks this year is in the hundreds.
Stella Shackelford says six-year-old Bond was her whole world, she said, "His supervillain name was 'The Lapster' because his favorite thing to do was sit in your lap." But Bond was taken away from her in a heartbeat.
She said, "We were walking in the park, right before bed, and out of the corner of my eye I saw this dog coming towards us, next thing I know, he had grabbed Bond and he shook him so hard it took him off the leash, and it took off with him down the street."
Shackelford says her beloved dog, the center of her world, was brutally attacked by an off-leash dog, saying, "Then I took Bond to Med Vet and he died in the parking lot. His throat was ripped out and the vet told me there was nothing they could do."
She says the trauma lingered, "I was numb for a week... I had nightmares." She said and so did the guilt, saying, "I felt like I should have been able to do something and there was nothing I could have done. Nothing."
WWL Louisiana reporter Eleanor Tabone and her dog Kique were on a walk earlier this month when an off-leash dog came up and attempted to attack Kique. Thankfully he's fine but Eleanor was curious to see how many other dog owners across the city of New Orleans have experienced something similar or worse, and according to the Louisiana SPCA, there are hundreds.
The LASPCA reports, since January 1st, 2024 there've been:
- 321 calls about animal attacks or bites
- 2100 strays taken into the Louisiana SPCA
- 435 from our officers in the field
- 1275 from members of the public bringing strays to our facility
- 1217 of these strays were dogs
Kathryn Destreza, Director of Operations at the LASPCA said, "We have seen an uptick of potentially dangerous dog cases... Where animals, dogs in particular are running off their owners' property and either approaching or biting somebody."
She is pleading with dog owners to be responsible and keep their dogs on a leash, saying, "Even owners who think that their dog will listen to their commands, dogs will do what dogs will do and you can never predict it."
Pets don't just live with us, they are family, Shackelford said, "I don't have children, for people with pets our pets are sort of are our children."
Pets turn our houses into homes. They become our dearest companions, and their smallest gestures, can be the ones we miss the most.
If you see a stray dog or a dog off-leash, the LASPCA says to call (504) 821-2222 if it's an emergency call 911.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.
