xavier
New member
I'm horrified to hear what happened to one of our local Maryland Newfs. I never would have imagined something like this could occur. Bella was only five. I'm just sick about it.
-Xavier & Gomez in MD
Below is what was sent to me about the incident and is all I know at this time:
My older Newf, Bella was drowned by beavers on Monday. I need everyone to know how dangerous beavers can be to dogs.
I took Bella & Gracie for a walk in the rain at about 12:30 on the Rock Creek Trail. No one was around so I let them run, but wouldn't let them go swimming because the water was so high. They were running & playing along the trail, having a great time when they spotted something & took off. I thought it was probably a squirrel so I didn't call them back. Next thing I knew, Gracie had jumped into the water with Bella right behind her. I yelled for them but they ignored me while they pursued a beaver across the creek.
Gracie was closest to it and it stopped and smacked the water with it's tail to warn her off but she kept coming. I heard a splash and there were 3 beavers in the water, all headed for Gracie. I had been yelling for the dogs, and Bella had turned and was coming back towards me. The beavers were in a semi-circle around Gracie, basically herding her towards the dam. She was on the far side of the creek and got sucked under the fallen trees. Bella had turned back towards the beavers but was still in the middle of the creek. They turned towards her and she turned back towards me but was fighting the current, By that time I had jumped into the water and was screaming at the beavers to try to distract them. I had a large stick in my hand to beat them off and was holding on to the trees, moving towards the middle, calling to Bella. I could see she was exhausted, they had herded her back to the dam, about 6 ft away from me. The beavers all submerged and 2 seconds later she went under. She didn't come back up, but after a few minutes they did, swimming towards me. I was slapping the water with the stick and trying to move myself back along the trees to shore.
By that time 2 runners had heard me screaming and were screaming for me to get out of the water. One jumped in and dragged me out, while the other threw sticks at the beavers, who backed off. I thought both dogs had drowned, but one of the runners saw Gracie coming up the trail towards us. I called for Bella for at least a half hour, trying to see if maybe she was trapped in an air pocket in the dam. There was no sign of her and I couldn't hear her whine or bark. I finally gave up.
I went home to shower because my teeth were chattering and to leave Gracie, then went back to try to find some sign of life. A friend happened to be there walking his dogs and went back to help me look. He crawled out onto the dam, trying to find her..After awhile we both agreed she was gone.
I filed a missing dog report at area dog shelters and have walked the creek everyday since but have not recovered her body. She was chipped, and had her license & ID tags on her collar, so I hope someone will find her and call me.
There is one thing that I would like everyone to do. Please, get the word out. Tell everyone you know about this and ask them to tell people so that this doesn't happen to another dog. Not many people know how dangerous beavers are to dogs - even my vet didn't. If they can drown a 110 lb Newfie, who was an exceptional swimmer with amazing stamina, they can drown any dog.
Beavers can hold their breath for 15 minutes, so the dog doesn't really have a chance once it is pulled beneath the water. People need to know to leash their dogs if they see any signs of beaver activity in the area. It only takes a second for a dog to spot a beaver & give chase. Once the dog is in the water, the beavers have an unbeatable advantage.
I am heartbroken and will have to learn to live with these horrific images. My sweet girl was much loved and will be forever missed.
-Xavier & Gomez in MD
Below is what was sent to me about the incident and is all I know at this time:
My older Newf, Bella was drowned by beavers on Monday. I need everyone to know how dangerous beavers can be to dogs.
I took Bella & Gracie for a walk in the rain at about 12:30 on the Rock Creek Trail. No one was around so I let them run, but wouldn't let them go swimming because the water was so high. They were running & playing along the trail, having a great time when they spotted something & took off. I thought it was probably a squirrel so I didn't call them back. Next thing I knew, Gracie had jumped into the water with Bella right behind her. I yelled for them but they ignored me while they pursued a beaver across the creek.
Gracie was closest to it and it stopped and smacked the water with it's tail to warn her off but she kept coming. I heard a splash and there were 3 beavers in the water, all headed for Gracie. I had been yelling for the dogs, and Bella had turned and was coming back towards me. The beavers were in a semi-circle around Gracie, basically herding her towards the dam. She was on the far side of the creek and got sucked under the fallen trees. Bella had turned back towards the beavers but was still in the middle of the creek. They turned towards her and she turned back towards me but was fighting the current, By that time I had jumped into the water and was screaming at the beavers to try to distract them. I had a large stick in my hand to beat them off and was holding on to the trees, moving towards the middle, calling to Bella. I could see she was exhausted, they had herded her back to the dam, about 6 ft away from me. The beavers all submerged and 2 seconds later she went under. She didn't come back up, but after a few minutes they did, swimming towards me. I was slapping the water with the stick and trying to move myself back along the trees to shore.
By that time 2 runners had heard me screaming and were screaming for me to get out of the water. One jumped in and dragged me out, while the other threw sticks at the beavers, who backed off. I thought both dogs had drowned, but one of the runners saw Gracie coming up the trail towards us. I called for Bella for at least a half hour, trying to see if maybe she was trapped in an air pocket in the dam. There was no sign of her and I couldn't hear her whine or bark. I finally gave up.
I went home to shower because my teeth were chattering and to leave Gracie, then went back to try to find some sign of life. A friend happened to be there walking his dogs and went back to help me look. He crawled out onto the dam, trying to find her..After awhile we both agreed she was gone.
I filed a missing dog report at area dog shelters and have walked the creek everyday since but have not recovered her body. She was chipped, and had her license & ID tags on her collar, so I hope someone will find her and call me.
There is one thing that I would like everyone to do. Please, get the word out. Tell everyone you know about this and ask them to tell people so that this doesn't happen to another dog. Not many people know how dangerous beavers are to dogs - even my vet didn't. If they can drown a 110 lb Newfie, who was an exceptional swimmer with amazing stamina, they can drown any dog.
Beavers can hold their breath for 15 minutes, so the dog doesn't really have a chance once it is pulled beneath the water. People need to know to leash their dogs if they see any signs of beaver activity in the area. It only takes a second for a dog to spot a beaver & give chase. Once the dog is in the water, the beavers have an unbeatable advantage.
I am heartbroken and will have to learn to live with these horrific images. My sweet girl was much loved and will be forever missed.
