Bernice Pritchett said she was walking on a trail stretching from Park Place Apartments on Bennett Drive and Mapleville Apartment on the same street at 9 a.m. when she came across the two dogs, whose owners live on nearby Heath Crescent, she said.
“There’s no fencing there, so the dogs can just run out on the field if they’re untied,” said Ms. Pritchett. “I don’t think either of them had a collar, but I was just concentrating on keeping safe.”
Initially, she thought the dogs only wanted to play with her. She picked up a stick and threw it to entice the dog to play fetch.
“I thought he was just a friendly dog saying hello, so I figured I’d play with him and he’d be alright,” said Ms. Pritchett.
One dog approached her from the left at a slow pace, while the other dog was loud and jumpy.
“I had reached down and picked up a rock really quick, so the slow one jumped in and I threw the rock and hit him in the ribs. By this time, the fast and loud one came in to jump at me, and I kicked him, and he went flying,” said Ms. Pritchett, who has wearing steel toe boots at the time.
“If that was a small child, I know it wouldn’t have been able to defend itself against two dogs.” - Bernice Pritchett
The dogs, a border-collie mix and a Heinz 57, were coming back, and she had two more rocks ready to throw at them, which she did. They did not come a third time.
“I was tired. I had come off a night-shift, and lucky for me, I was thinking quick, because anybody else who is afraid of dogs wouldn’t have been able to do what I did. If that was a small child, I know it wouldn’t have been able to defend itself against two dogs.”
She did not say she was bitten or scratched by either of the dogs.
Ms. Pritchett said she reported the incident to a municipal enforcement officer. Const. Oswald Fudge confirmed the reported incident, and said municipal enforcement believes it knows who the owner is and will look into the matter. No further details were available as of The Beacon’s deadline.
Bonnie Harris, manager of the Gander SPCA, could not be reached for comment.
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