A Victoria woman is issuing a warning to dog owners after she says her Lab-shepherd cross was attacked by otters at Clover Point.
“All of a sudden I heard people scream and I turned around to see two river otters attacking our shepard-lab about 25 feet or so off the point where I was sitting,” said the Facebook post from Anne Tanner.
“One otter came four feet or so out of the ocean to pounce on our dog, while the other otter swam down and locked onto her leg to try to drag her under water.”
Tanner had taken her 90-pound lab-shepherd and 80-pound Bordeaux mastiff to Clover Point Tuesday night for a swim.
She said fortunately another couple was nearby, who screamed and threw driftwood at the attacking otters.
“Thank God that with a serious fight … our dog freed herself and swam to shore … yelping, shaking and limping pretty bad.”
This is not the first incident of a dog being attacked by otters along the Victoria waterfront. A golden retriever mix was attacked while swimming in the waters off Dallas Road back in February.
Tanner said her dog was not seriously injured, but wanted to warn residents that otters frequent the area and can be aggressive, particularly with dogs.
“Please be careful with small children and pets when you are at the beach,” she said. “And some friendly advice, if you smell an extra pungent fishy smell (which I smelled but didn’t think anything of it), put your animals on a leash, as that’s a good sign that river otters may be in the area.”
