NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A vicious attack at a popular dog park is drawing attention.
A pet owner says his beloved Yorkie is now dead after a violent incident involving two larger dogs.
He says it happened in the dog park beside Stones River Greenway, one they visited for over 12 years.
"It's just something you can't unsee," said Jamie Wigginton.
Jamie says an owner had two large dogs on leashes. All of the sudden, they attacked Sparta. He says he threw himself in the middle to defend him, but Sparta was left bloody and torn apart. He later died at a nearby emergency vet.
"The sheer terror in his eyes while he was trying to heave and breathe until his eyes glazed over is worse than any movie you can ever imagine," said Wigginton. "I want people to know how bad it was, because it is a public concern."
Jamie put up this sign at the dog park one day later, showing a picture of Sparta and explaining what happened. He hopes dog owners will take note and learn a lesson.
“It’s definitely upsetting," said Madison Wilson, a dog owner who saw the sign Wednesday. "I kind of had a similar experience...where it was just us and another lady that had two big dogs, and they attacked [my dog Lulu]."
Both she and Wigginton ask dog owners with aggressive or reactive dogs to consider training or getting extra help to avoid a similar situation.
Wigginton also had a message for the owner of the large dogs involved in Thursday's attack.
“I don’t want...anyone to send any ugly messages to the owner of these dogs, nothing of the sort," he explained. "I want to give her a hug, and I want to her to look at the pictures...of my bloody, dying dog, and I want her to cry for him."
Animal Care and Control, who worked with Jamie last week, says if this happens to you, get as much information as you can from the dog owner and call Animal Care and Control for additional help.
There are still so many families in East Tennessee hurting following the floods from Hurricane Helene in September. That made this year's running of the Santa Train extra special for many families in the northeast part of the state. This special Santa Express has been making an annual run in part of Appalachia for over 80 years.
-Lelan Statom
