[News] Family's Yorkies Killed 12 Years Apart by Same Greyhound Family

[fasteddie]

Even more tragic, having it happen TWICE!
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First, you wonder about the odds this story could happen.

Twelve years ago, the daughter of a Peoria family that adopts greyhounds took one of those dogs out for a walk. The dog was on a leash.

Meanwhile, the daughter of a neighboring family was washing the car while their Yorkshire terrier ran loose.

A greyhound is bred and trained to chase small animals - they're fast enough to catch birds on the wing - and a Yorkie is a small animal. Dapper the greyhound broke loose, caught Madison the Yorkie by the neck and killed her.

Fast forward to July 20 of this year.

The mother of that same greyhound family was out walking two dogs together on one heavy leash called a coupler. A Yorkshire terrier owned by the same neighbors ran out. The Yorkie, Queen, was grabbed by one of the leashed greyhounds, King. (Talk about your odds.)

Same families. Different dogs. Same result.

"Stranger than fiction," said Peoria Animal Welfare Shelter director Lauren Malmberg. "That's what we thought."

That would be weird enough. But this is Peoria, the unofficial largest small town in the world. So the characters in this story make it even weirder.

The Yorkies belonged to Arie and John Stenson. He is Peoria's immediate past police chief. The greyhounds belong to Leon and Iris Decker. She is the current vice president of the Central Illinois Greyhound Adoption group.

According to Iris Decker, and the police report, her male greyhound grabbed the smaller dog. Trying to break his hold on the Yorkie, she was knocked to the ground. Mrs. Stenson ran over. Shortly afterward, so did Stenson's son, John Jr., bearing a broomstick to hit King and make him let go. Mrs. Decker also was hit during the melee.

According to Iris Decker, but not the police report, her dog also was hit after it let go, and she was hit again after it let go.

"I called the police because I was hit after," she said.

According to Arie Stenson, but not the police report, a neighbor who is a police officer was also on the scene before her son. She and her son insist no one intentionally hit Iris Decker.

"Iris had no control," Arie Stenson said. "Eventually, the dogs dragged her down."

Tickets were issued and paid on both sides. The Stensons were fined for letting their dog run loose; the Deckers for failure to restrain their dog.

Problem solved? Not quite. The possibility of more charges remains, on both sides. Considering that John Jr. was a Peoria County state's attorney at the time, finding a judge would be interesting.

As an animal rescuer, Iris Decker said she feels bad to see any dog die. Yet she is also a bit angry because nothing would have happened if Queen had been on a leash.

"It's terrible," she said. "I just don't know how I could have prevented that."

As a grieving dog owner, Arie Stenson worries about the other small dogs in the neighborhood.

"Why still walk the dogs without a muzzle?" she said, noting the Deckers have never apologized for the death of either dog.

"The whole thing is so odd," said Malmberg, who is advocating for muzzles. "I understand Mrs. Stenson's point completely. And I understand Mrs. Decker's point of view, too. The Stensons just want to make sure no other dog is killed. The Deckers just want to enjoy their pets and see others stay in their yard."

Bottom line? Dogs will be dogs. It's up to the people to improve their odds.

http://www.pjstar.com/news/bibo/b48rods1046.html

[YorkieRose]

Since both Yorkies were killed while they were running free, it would best not to take any chances and keep them in a fenced yard. People will say it is not fair their pets can not be free in front yards or common grounds in the neighborhood. It isn't fair, but it is safer. I would like the freedom to go anywhere, at anytime, day or night, but it is not safe and I have to use common sense..even though it stifles my freedom.

[CARMEL]

I agree...
I am paranoid over anything happening to my 'Rosie' to the point of being way to over the top!
But I had my male yorky ('Willie') go missing after a home intrusion a few years back so Ibecame even more protective of my yorkies! they are sooooo friendly and easily stolen even when kept under lock and key!

[bettyeanne]

... I never cease to be amazed!! You cannot be too protective of your Yorkie baby!! BTW ... Carmel .. welcome to the unofficial "Over-protective" Yorkie Club!! I have appointed myself "President"!

[topdogtednomore]

Hello,
It's been a year to the day and almost hour that my 13 year old yorkie was attacked and killed by one of two "rescued" greyhounds that were also on a leash being walked in front of our home in Highland, Indiana.

Teddy had walked down his driveway alone and came upon these two. I am quite certain there was no fight from Ted. He was partially blind, had just had six teeth removed and was quite slow. (We were never concerned for him to be alone on his property.) The owner of the greyhounds could not contain them, nor would she just walk across the street to avoid a problem.

My husband was in the garage and heard the woman yelling "NO". While she was sitting on the ground. He dove down to pry open the mouth of the greyhound to remove Teddy's limp little body. We rushed him to the vet but he had crushed ribs, punctured lung and just passed away. There was no barking, no growling, no noise but the owner saying No.

This woman did nothing. She took her dog to HER vet claiming Ted bit one of the greyhounds...Ted had no bottom teeth. He had bad vision. He weighed 7 pounds at the time of his death. Her monsters were full grown and not aged. There was no barking from Teddy. He never got the chance.

I let my dog walk down his driveway as he had done for 13 years without incident. He was pulled off by this useless animal to be killed while the owner did nothing. I miss him so. Is it wrong to wish pain and misery to the owners? For that's all I can do. He was my canine son. He would have been 14 years old that August.

[fourdez]

Oh my god.. I am so sorry. I can imagine the pain you and your family are going through. It sounds like you loved your baby very much. Though there are no words that can bring you comfort right now, I hope that soon you will find peace and contentment in all the years of memories with your him.

[Harbinger]

Wow, I am so sorry for your loss. I can only imagine how hard it is. As much as I want my Yorkie to not be over protective it's hard not to be, especially with the tiny ones.

[aimee]

I am so sorry for your terrible tragedy I can't believe how careless some dog owners are.

[Marie]

Oh my gosh, this is horrible and it happened twice. Incredible. Im very protective with my baby also. I wouldnt let her loose in front of the house for this reason you never know what can happen.

topdogtednomore, im so sorry for your lost. I can believe the owner of the other dog did nothing. Poor little angel.

[Biddy's Mom]

I always feel like I'm too overprotective because I NEVER let my dogs off of the leash outside. I feel bad because I know they would love to run free, but I'm just too nervous. It's not my dogs that I don't trust, but other dogs. I guess this confirms my theory. It's a shame that this happened, but I guess we can all learn from it...