CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After a couple's dog was attacked in Freedom Park, they have a message for pet owners in Charlotte: proceed with caution.
“I don’t want this to happen to anybody else," Yuko Kishimoto said.
“I don’t want anyone to have to go through that," her husband Stephen Proctor added.
Kishimoto said on Wednesday, a huge Boxer ran to attack her dog Luffy, a 7-year-old cocker spaniel. Luffy survived but went to the hospital to close a gaping cut on her neck.
“I can’t walk my dog by myself anymore," she said, "never going to happen, that was so so scary."
Particularly because she says the situation could've been worse.
“The {other] dog owner took off, she didn’t even say 'you okay, your dog okay,' nothing,” Kishimoto said.
Now, she and her husband want the owner to be held accountable.
“This is 100% on the owner," Proctor said. "She knew whether she could control her dog, yet she still brought her to a public park.”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department reports that every year from 2020 to 2022 saw more than 600 reported dog attacks and over a thousand bites. So far in 2023, there have been 564 attacks and more than 1,000 bites as of September 20.
“Unfortunately, it's not surprising," Proctor, said. "Unfortunately, personal accountability seems to be a thing of the past."
If a dog on the loose approaches you, experts say don't scream or run. They say if the dog ends up attacking you, try to protect yourself and call for help.
If another dog is attacking your pup, experts say try not to panic and don't try to separate them yourself. Instead, try to distract the other dog from a distance, with a loud noise like a clap.
The couple wants to thank another woman who helped separate the two dogs during the attack.
CMPD Animal Care and Control does offer a variety of educational programs to help with responsible pet ownership.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.