A beloved family pet is on the mend after being run over and left for dead by a trespasser on an all-terrain vehicle in Nova Scotia’s Pictou County.
Owners Gary and Sherry Wadden are hoping someone will call police and identify the person who nearly killed their seven-year-old chocolate Labrador, Max.
There are signs posted around the Westville couple’s property to stop ATVs and other vehicles from racing through.
Gary was cleaning up the garage Friday evening when he saw yet another intruder on his land.
“Well, he was just starting down the driveway there and when I came running out, I still had the broom in my hand and I went to flag him to slow down, and instead of slowing down, he sped up,” he said.
“It happened so quickly. The next thing I knew, the four-wheeler hit Max,” continued Sherry.
“And by the time he righted it, he was on top of Max again, and took off,” said Gary.
Max suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, in his right leg and the Waddens are trying to keep him off it as much as possible.
They say the driver was dressed all in black with a full face mask. Sherry tried to follow him in her car after the incident, but lost him.
“He did have a backpack on with a large, green emblem - neon green because it glowed in my headlights,” she said.
Police are treating the incident as a hit-and-run. The couple is afraid to think of what else might have happened.
“We do have two grandchildren who play in our yard, and by the grace of God, it wasn’t them,” said Sherry.
The Waddens are hoping to meet with a veterinary orthopedic surgeon later this week to determine what can be done to save Max’s leg.
They’re also hoping anyone with information about the driver of the four-wheeler will contact police.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Dan MacIntosh
