Dear editor:
It is with a dying faith in human compassion that I am writing this letter.
On Friday, I arrived at my farm to find the beloved family dog covered in blood.
She had been attacked by a badger, and was bleeding quite profusely from numerous injuries around her neck.
I immediately loaded her into my vehicle and rushed to the veterinary hospital.
In my urgency to get her somewhere where they could lessen her pain and stitch her up, I exceeded the speed limit. Keep in mind I was not going at a dangerous speed, I was doing 121 on a divided two- lane highway (Highway 1A) between Cochrane and Calgary.
Const. Luczak, from the Cochrane detachment, pulled me over for speeding.
When he came to my window I apologized for speeding and directed his attention to the dog that was bleeding all over my front seat, explaining that I was very sorry but really needed to get Ella some medical attention. He simply looked at her and said he would have me on my way as soon as possible.
Now I could be wrong, but he sat in his car for about 30 minutes writing my ticket as Ella sat there in medical distress.
To me, that is not having me on my way quickly. If it was that important to write me a ticket, could he not have followed me to the vet’s office (which was five minutes away) and finished the paperwork there?
It is incredibly disappointing to think that an RCMP officer, who is tasked with the job of helping people and keeping everyone safe, was unable to show any compassion for a beloved pet.
Thankfully, after almost an hour under anesthetic, the veterinarian was able to finish stitching her up. The vet described it as one of the worst injuries he has seen in awhile, worse than any coyote attack he had seen.
It just saddens me to think that she had to be without medication to dull her pain, and sat there bleeding in my car for half an hour longer than she should have, with no assistance offered from Const. Luczak.
Is it not his job to help citizens of Cochrane, instead of hindering us when facing an emergency?
Jenn Whyte
