Chantelle Dawson says she was shocked to come across a note threatening violence against a dog and its owner on a popular hiking trail on the North Shore.
The owner of dog-walking service Treks 4 Pets says the note, which was posted at a number of locations along the Baden-Powell trail, was addressed to “the A-hole owner of Rosie the pit bull.”
The note reads, “I was attacked once, and now will carry a 20-inch chain with a one-pound steel ball on the end to crack the dog (and owner if need be) on the skull.”
“IMO, the beast should be chained; the owner needs to be reported and fined – or spanked.”
The note is anonymous, only signed, “One of several angry walkers.”
Dawson told Global News the dog in question resembles her own dog. One of her staff members told her she was worried about Dawson’s dog after first seeing the note.
But Dawson says her issue with the note is not about the dog breed mentioned. “The issue is that somebody feels that it’s OK to post notes in the forest, threatening violence against a dog and a human. That’s why we are concerned and that’s why it is disturbing and unsettling. Whether I have a black Lab or a pit bull is not the issue. Somebody out there is threatening to hurt a dog instead of following the necessary steps laid out by the society.”
Dawson says she is also concerned about the safety of her staff who walk the trails every day.
“To know that someone is armed and dangerous in the forest and threatening vigilante punishment is really crazy.”
Global News has reached out to the North Vancouver RCMP to see if they are looking into the threat.
Dawson says the one message she has for the person who posted the note is to go through legal avenues to address the problem, if there is one.
“The note is a very archaic means of dealing with the situation,” says Dawson. “It’s disturbing on a number of levels.”
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