Andrea Jagdeo and her family are mourning the loss of their pet dog, who was mauled to death by a large dog at Second Beach in Stanley Park over the BC Day long weekend.
Andrea Jagdeo and her husband made the trek from Langley to Vancouver with their three children and two dogs on Monday, August 5th to take advantage of the beautiful summer weather.
The family was walking at Second Beach around 5:30pm when they stopped by the washrooms to give their two dogs, including Sky, a three-year-old Maltipoo, some water. As they were trying to figure out what to do next, a large dog came out of nowhere and grabbed Sky.
We were standing there, and all of a sudden this dog just came bolting and went through my daughter and myself,” said Jagdeo. “The force was so much that Sky’s collar came off of her. The dog just grabbed her and wouldn’t let go.”
The dog that grabbed Sky by her stomach has been described as either a Pitbull or Bullmastiff. Both the family and strangers tried to get the dog to let go of Sky, even hitting and kicking the dog.
“There were people that were hitting the dog. There was even a woman on the floor, who pretty much wrapped her whole body around this dog, just trying to get her the dog to let go of Sky,” said Jagdeo.
Andrea’s husband, A.J., wasn’t aware of what was happening immediately, and when he finally realized that Sky was being attacked, he quickly tried to pry the dog’s mouth open with his hands. Andrea’s youngest said someone kicked the attacking dog towards its back leg, who then finally let go of Sky.
With her focus solely on Sky, Andrea says the dog owner finally leashed her dog after letting go of Sky, who then proceeded to run from the scene.
Dog owner being asked to come forward
“I was so hyper-focused on Sky, trying to see if she was okay,” said Andrea, who was completely caught off guard by the dog. “The dog just honestly sprung out of nowhere, I don’t know if the dog was in the area before or not.”
DOG ATTACK [Stanley Park]. Yesterday a pit bull dog killed a small dog at 2nd beach in a crowded area with families celebrating BC Day. The woman ran off with her dog while a few people followed her. Not sure if they got her. #vancouver #stanleypark #dogattack #dogs #crimes pic.twitter.com/k34PbmhY6n
— M i C O (@micoart) August 7, 2024
With their focus solely on Sky, Andrea and her husband rushed to get Sky to a vet as quickly as possible. The attack ripped Sky open and when A.J. picked sky up from the ground, a piece of her fell out.
A person driving by helped by taking them to a veterinary nearby. Other people helping the family stayed with two of their kids until police arrived later on.
RELATED:
- Woman, child killed in six-vehicle crash on Highway 1 in Chilliwack
- Man with bra on his head, two knives attempts to stab dog walker in Nanaimo
- Dog killed in North Vancouver hit-and-run involving commercial vehicle
Sky was pronounced dead at the veterinary, but Andrea believes she spent her final moments alive in her husband’s arms.
As for the response from police and other officials, the family wishes there was better communication.
“I wish that there was a little bit more communication whether they received more videos whether they’ve had people come talk to them. What I wish that there was a little bit more communication on that part. There’s been rumours that the lady turned herself in, but we haven’t heard anything from the police.”
Holding back tears, Andrea described Sky as the “life of the party”.
3-year-old Sky
“She was honestly a princess, she was a diva, the life of the party. She was tiny, only five pounds, but she had so much energy. She made everyone smile, I mean everyone, even those who didn’t know.”
“She had this crooked tooth which we loved and always made fun of. She was just amazing. She is our little princess,” added Jagdeo.
As the family mourns the loss of Sky, Andrea hopes tragedies like this can be avoided in the future and is hoping the dog owner comes forward to take responsibility.
“There needs to be more regulations for one about all these aggressive dogs that are around because clearly, Sky is not the first dog to be attacked like this. These dogs display a lot of aggression, and there needs to be a law that they need to be leashed and muzzled when they’re in public because what is happening now is not enough,” said Jagdeo.
With support from the public, Andrea and her family hope the dog owner does the right thing and comes forward.