Tatiana Gregoryanz said she is grateful for everyone who jumped in to help Sunday night when her greyhound was severely injured by an unleashed pit bull in Reynolds Park.
That included a group of soccer players who stopped their scrimmage and ran over to keep the pit bull from doing even more damage.
“When we left, all these men were holding the pit bull down because he was that determined to get after us,” Gregoryanz said.
She said one-year-old Misha, who is still in the process of being adopted by Gregoryanz, was grabbed by his neck by the pit bull just after she entered the park with him and her two other greyhounds. All three are retired racers.
She said Misha’s throat was ripped open and his chest was badly damaged, and the scene that unfolded at the park was upsetting to everyone who saw it.
The injuries were considered possibly life-threatening but Misha has come through emergency surgery at Central Animal Hospital and is doing “fairly well,” Gregoryanz said.
Staff members at the hospital were “nothing short of heroic” in their efforts during an operation that took over two hours, she said. “Hopefully everything goes well and then he will not need any further surgery, but he may.”
As for her, she said people at work have been asking if she was in a fight because her arms are so bruised from pulling Misha away from the attack.
Gregoryanz said she has submitted a report about the incident to a Capital Regional District bylaw officer. Saanich police were involved initially, but the case is now in the CRD’s hands.
The investigation is continuing and the pit bull will likely be designated as dangerous, the CRD said.
Gregoryanz said she was in shock at first but now tears up at the thought of all the people who tried to help. “It was really so good to know that people were supportive.”
That includes David Robinson, who has started a fundraising page on her behalf to raise money for veterinary costs. The page described Misha as gentle dog who will need considerable care.
Gregoryanz, whose contact information is on the page, is helping to raise funds by painting pet portraits for people, something she has done for many years.
The page, at gofundme.com/f/please-help-with-mishas-attack-recovery, had raised more than $3,500 of its $8,000 goal by Wednesday afternoon, including a donation from a man who said he had a similar experience a few months ago when an off-leash border collie attacked his greyhound in Pacific Spirit Park.
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