BY BILL WOLCOTT
The 6-month old cocker spaniel that was dragged behind a car on Lake Avenue during the Niagara County Fair on Saturday is recovering at the Erie County SPCA in Tonawanda.
Donations to pay for the dog’s care already will cover the initial $3,776 emergency bill, according to Gina Browning, public relations director of the SPCA. The dog may require more surgery, and it is not known how much further care will cost.
“It depends on the puppy,” Browning said. “He’s eating like crazy, which is good, but we know he’s feeling pain.”
Vets have treated “Walker” with antibiotics, pain patches, stitches and stables. Collagen cream has been ordered for the dog, which suffered open wounds, including exposed bones in each of his paws where the skin was scraped away.
Witnesses say they saw the puppy being pulled behind a gray Chevrolet Lumina at the K&K; Food Mart near Cold Springs Road. However, an anonymous woman reportedly called the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office and said the car was a Ford Contour.
Capt. Kris Neubauer, the head of the Criminal Division, would not release more information Wednesday. “It’s actively being investigated,” she said. “Providing more information would be counterproductive.”
Linda Tilton, the manager of K&K;, took the dog to Wrights Corners Animal Care Center and then to the Greater Buffalo Veterinary Emergency Clinic, where the dog underwent two hours of emergency surgery.
Tilton plans to adopt the puppy and name him “Walker.”
Contact reporter Bill Wolcott
at 439-9222, ext. 6246.
