By Angeljean Chiaramida
SEABROOK — The owners of a retired show horse are hoping their mare can fight off infection and heal properly after being mauled by a neighbor's dog on Saturday night.
Pokey, a 27-year old retired Arabian show horse, was attacked while in its corral behind the home at 105 Railroad Ave. by a boxer/pit bull mix owned by a next-door neighbor. The horse sustained serious wounds to its neck and upper leg, said its owners, Sally Bagley of Seabrook and her niece Robin Martin of Salisbury.
The hope is the wounds will heal without further problems, but the gravity of the situation has shaken all involved.
"The kid next door told me he was walking his dog and it got loose, and it ran and leapt at the horse's neck and bit him," Bagley said. "It took our vet two hours to treat the wounds. She was able to stitch up the neck wound, but the dog took a chunk out of Pokey's leg. She couldn't stitch it, so she packed the wound with gauze."
Martin is a dog groomer but competed with the chestnut Arabian in horse shows as a youth.
"That dog could have ripped out (Pokey's) throat; she could have died," she said. "I'm a dog person, but those dogs, pit bulls, they're dangerous."
Seabrook Animal Control Officer Jeff Baillargeon was not on duty Saturday night, but said the dog's owner, 21-year old Thomas Rivers, of 107 Railroad Ave., arrived at the police station at about 6:10 Saturday night to report the incident himself within about a hour of the attack.
Sgt. David Buccheri and officer Adam Laurent went to Bagley's home and investigated the attack Saturday, calling Bagley, who was at work at the time, Baillargeon said.
According to Buccheri's and Laurent's incident report, Rivers was walking his dog near the Railroad Avenue homes, which are situated side by side. The dog, named Max, slipped his leash, Rivers said, ran through a small group of trees into the horse's corral and bit the horse. The report added Rivers appeared upset about the incident while speaking with police.
"It doesn't look like he's hiding anything," Baillargeon said of Rivers. "He showed up here on his own to tell us about it."
Following a biting incident, the law requires dogs be quarantined, confined and not allowed to run free for 10 days, while it is observed to see if it exhibits behaviors attributed to rabies, Baillargeon said. The dog must also be examined by a veterinarian, he said. Bagley told police the dog was licensed and up to date on its shots.
Baillargeon said the law does not require a dog be automatically put down after a biting incident. That takes a court order.
New Hampshire law requires all dogs be vaccinated for rabies and licensed, Baillargeon said, and Seabrook requires dogs be on leashes.
"In cases like this most of the issues are civil not criminal," Baillargeon said. "We'd bring charges if the dog isn't licensed or vaccinated. And since the dog got loose from his leash, there's that violation. I'll be following up with the SPCA to see if any other laws apply."
Baillargeon said Rivers was told by Buccheri and Laurent before he left the police station that he is financially responsible for the medical bill incurred from the dog's attack.
For large animals, veterinary bills can accumulate quickly, Bagley said. She expects Pokey's emergency care on Saturday to come to about $1,000, a total that could double before Pokey heals. The veterinarian will return to continue to check for infection and to dress the wounds until they heal, Bagley said.
Bagley is nervous knowing the dog is next door, but knows it's supposed to be contained and quarantined for about the next two weeks.
"My Aunt Sally and my late uncle bought Pokey for me when I was 12, and we entered and won shows all over New England," Martin said. "Pokey's retired now, but you should have seen her in her day. She was really something.
"I know my aunt feels sorry for the boy who owns the dog, but this was really awful, and the vet bills will be expensive for her to pay," Martin said.
