SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP — Homer Coffield ventured out to his barn to feed the horses Saturday morning, and as their velvety muzzles into feed buckets, the only sound was the crunch of sweet feed and the soft thump of hooves in sawdust.
The calm of the peaceful morning was broken when Coffield heard a loud yelp and realized his 10-pound shih-tzu dog Lil Bud was in trouble.
Coffield said he saw his neighbor’s two malamute dogs attack Lil Bud, snap his spine and carry the dog off.
Adult daughter Connie Gagat said the attack was brutal and Lil Bud, who was taken to a local veterinarian and then transferred on life support to Akron, was eventually euthanized.
“But the real issue here, the issue that a lot of people might not even realize, is that (the Gray’s dogs) aren’t the major danger,” Gagat said. “They breed wolves and big cats on their property and it just isn’t safe.”
Scott and Jennifer Gray said their malamute dogs, contained by an electronic fence, have never strayed from their large yard and believe Lil Bud may have crossed the property line. Regardless, the Grays have offered to pay Lil Bud’s veterinary bills.
“We feel just terrible about (Lil Bud),” Jennifer Gray said. “We are animal lovers and we are just so upset that this has happened. We are even trying to find good homes for the malamutes so nothing like this happens again.”
Jennifer Gray said she and her husband have several wolf-hybrid dogs that are “domesticated and always contained.”
“They are pets,” Jennifer Gray said. “We don’t breed wolf dogs; in fact, all our wolf dogs are neutered males. The wolf dogs had nothing to do with the incident on Saturday.”
Scott Gray said he and his wife operate a small-scale breeding operation for hybrid domestic Savannah cats.
A cross between a Serval and a domestic cat, Savannahs are large eared, spotted cats that can weigh up to 25 pounds. The Grays recently built a barn on their property to house their male Savannah breeding stock, Scott Gray said.
“The males are obviously unneutered and will spray in the house,” he said. “For that reason we will keep them in the barn, though they are perfectly domesticated. The females and kittens will stay in the house.”
Saybrook Township Trustee Bob Brobst said the township has no ordinance against exotic animals, other than outlines for kennel operations.
“We are re-evaluating and revising our zoning code,” Brobst said. “And we may introduce zoning legislation to address exotic animals in the future.”
Gagat said she is only concerned for the safety of her parents and their other dogs.
“I just feel that their neighbors should know that there are wolf dogs and strange cats in the area,” Gagat said. “My parents have three other dogs. They try to be good neighbors and not give (they Grays) any grief, but when it comes to safety in their own yard, how much is a person supposed to take?”
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