The courageous effort to help a Greyhound that had been attacked by another dog has taken a sad turn.
Joe McParland, whose dog Vici suffered serious head and neck injuries in the attack Friday night on a Windsor street, received a phone call overnight Wednesday with the worst possible news, which he confirmed via social media.
"Vici passed away this morning at 1:46," McParland wrote in a post on his Facebook page. "I received a telephone call from the vet notifying me she had suffered cardiac arrest."
McParland was walking Vici and another dog on Ouellette Avenue near Ellis Street when his attention was attracted by violent pulling on his leash. He looked down to see another dog had its teeth around Vici's neck. McParland was able to pull the other dog off Vici, injuring himself in the process. The dog that attacked Vici has been quarantined.
The dog was rushed to an animal hospital and had appeared to be on a slow road to recovery, as Blackburn News reported on Monday. McParland said at that time that he was comforted by the widespread community support.
"It's such an emotional issue," said McParland. "I'm overwhelmed by the community response. I've had people knocking on my door and leaving dog cookies and all sorts of different things, and it's really helped me through this."
A GoFundMe page had been set up to help pay for Vici's veterinary bills, as well as raise money for a non-profit that rescues Greyhound dogs. As of Wednesday morning, almost $5,000 had been raised.
Anyone with information on Friday's incident, which is still under investigation, is asked to call Windsor police.
