Family’s French Bulldog killed at Vancouver Island campground

A family on Vancouver Island has been left devastated after their 18-month-old French Bulldog named Ocean was killed by a “wolf dog.”

Coombs Country Campground says it happened on Saturday morning while Ocean was being walked through the site. As spokesperson Allen Felker explains, the wolf dog grabbed Ocean and broke her collar and her owner’s finger.

“He was just floored, like shocked that this had happened,” he said. ” He immediately started chasing after this big huge dog that had his beloved French Bulldog in its mouth and he ran as hard as he could but he could never catch him and ended up wiping out in the path and falling down.”

Felker says the family looked for Ocean along the trail and some nearby railway tracks. The owner later found a pool of fresh blood along the trail, with Ocean nowhere to be found.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s a pet or your actual daughter. Everyone treats their pets like children and when you lose a child it is the worst thing that can happen to a parent,” he said.

Felker adds that witnesses who saw the wolf dog claim it resembles one that has been evading capture from wildlife officials for a number of months after being left in the area, but this has yet to be confirmed.

“On the Facebook page, they had reports two months ago of a man in a black truck, dumping this dog around this subdivision, and that’s where the first sighting was — a woman saw a man get out of a truck and let this dog loose,” he explained. “That’s where the first part of everything happens and then there’s been several sightings since then, including another couple that’s had their dog attacked and they’ve got $10,000 for the vet bills.”

Felker tells CityNews that wildlife conservation and coastal animal centres haven’t stepped in and taken ownership of the issue this likely-abandoned dog presents to the area.

He says the animal hasn’t been caught as of Monday evening, and Coombs Country Campground has closed its trails to guests in order to ensure their safety until someone catches it.

Ocean’s owners are requesting privacy at this time, but Felker says they’re now advocating for a law to be created to uphold animal abandonment.