A Prairie Village family is asking for their neighbors’ help in identifying a dog and its owner after an off-leash attack left their beloved Yorkshire terrier, Sawyer, dead. The incident occurred Sunday evening when Eric Laudermilk and his daughter, Harlan, 7, took their two family dogs for a walk after grilling at home.

Incident Details

Eric was walking their Bernedoodle, Barry, while Harlan had Sawyer, a 10-year-old Yorkie terrier. Both dogs were on leashes. Eric’s wife, Laura, stayed behind to put their three-year-old son to bed. Laudermilk says they were approaching a pedestrian walkway over a drainage canal at 74th Street and Village Drive, about six doors down from their house, when he noticed another dog acting aggressively.

That dog, which Laudermilk describes as a black Boxer mix possibly weighing about 30 pounds, was with a group of three people and a second dog. Laudermilk said he steered his dogs and Harlan away from the group, hoping to get across the walkway and continue to Porter Park, but the other dog got loose.

Investigation

The Prairie Village Police’s Animal Control unit is currently investigating the incident. Capt. Josh Putthoff, a Prairie Village Police spokesperson, said the department’s Animal Control unit is working with the same description of the other dog — a black possibly Boxer mix, weighing 25-30 pounds — that Eric Laudermilk gave.

Laudermilk says they took Sawyer to a veterinarian clinic near 119th and College Boulevard in Overland Park on Sunday night. The vets there determined that Sawyer had suffered four puncture wounds, broken ribs, and a broken vertebra, all from what appears to have been a single bite. Sawyer died on Wednesday.

The Laudermilks are now seeking help to identify the dog and its owner to prevent similar incidents in the future. They are asking neighbors to check their security camera footage from Sunday around 8:45 p.m. for any information that might help.

Original reporting: Johnson County Post (Overland Park) — read the source article.