Dog found in river possible victim of drowning attempt

Published 2:22 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

NORTH BEND — Every Christmas, there seems to be a

tale of a lucky dog. But this last Christmas, it wasn’t about the

Grinch’s dog who got a holiday after all, or the hounds from “A

Christmas Story” who gorged on holiday turkey.

This time, the lucky dog was a collie mix that was found in

the Snoqualmie River, her leash wound tightly around her

body and a concrete pipe.

At this time, it’s not known if someone attempted to drown

the reddish tan and white dog, or if she somehow twisted

herself around the concrete and flung her body into the frigid water.

Either way, the pooch survived.

An unidentified passer-by spotted “Reiny,” as King

County Animal Control workers call her, struggling to get out of the

Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River about 9 a.m. Christmas Day.

The person contacted the North Bend fire station,

and firefighters Bob Venera and Tom Craig were soon on the scene.

Wearing bunker gear — which is the outfit firefighters don to

protect themselves from heat and other elements — so they

could tolerate the cold water the firefighters talked to and

calmed the dog, then brought her to the bank and freed her from the

15-foot chain leash that was wound around an approximately

10-pound, 18-inch-long concrete pipe.

“She was a little scared at first. I think she’d been out all

night,” Venera said.

He explained that she was about three feet out from

the bank, struggling to get out of the rushing water. The concrete

had gotten stuck on the bottom of the river, and the dog was fighting

for air.

The men brought the soaking-wet canine to the fire

station, where they dried her off, fed her, and let her nap under a

heater. Since it was Christmas Day, King County Animal Control

workers were unavailable, so the firefighters kept her company.

According to experienced firefighter Venera, there is no

way the dog did this to herself.

“I would highly doubt that it would

river and floated downstream,”

Bob Venera

North Bend Firefighter

he said. “There was no way she could have drug it down the

embankment without that tile getting caught on the rocks, so

[she] had to be in the river already.”

The charge for attempting to harm a pet in this manner is

animal cruelty, and in some cases can be a Class C felony, according

to the Revised Code of Washington. The punishment for animal

cruelty in the first degree carries up to five years in a correctional

institution, a fine of $10,000 or both. Second-degree animal cruelty

is a misdemeanor, with a maximum 90-day jail sentence, a

$1,000 fine, or both.

Reiny is about 3 years old, reddish tan and white in color

and weighs about 45 pounds. She has perky ears, brown eyes and

red spots on the white “socks” of her front legs. Animal Control

officer Kerri Sheehan said the dog could be part Australian cattle dog,

or heeler, and part collie.

“She’s a sweetheart,” she added.

Sheehan said that if this was an attempted drowning, it

would be the first she’s seen, although pet abandonment is common.

And in case this isn’t an isolated occurrence, officials are

cautioning Valley pet owners to pay attention.

“[This incident] needs to be made aware of so people in

that area can keep an eye out for suspicious people trying to get

their dogs or pets,” Venera said.

As for Reiny, she still waits for a loving family to rescue her

from the Crossroads adoption center in Bellevue at 821 164th NE.

Anyone with information on how Reiny got into the river

or knowledge of her owner’s identity should call Vicki

Schmitz, manager of Animal Services and Programs for King County,

at (206) 296-4015, or field officers at (206) 296-3958. Also, if

anyone knows the identity of the passer-by who first found the

dog, county workers would like to thank him or her and see if

the person has any information that could help the case.