On April 30, a Yellowwood tree will be planted at an environmental centre in a Pennsylvania nature park to honour the life of Tonka, a Norwegian elkhound from Lively that died in January after being attacked by two other dogs.
The White Oak, Pennsylvania-based elkhound rescue facility that reached out to Tonka's owner, Terry Matthews, in the days following the dog's death spearheaded a fundraising campaign when they heard what happened to Tonka. Dennis Williams said they managed to raise about $500, with the intention of helping to cover some of the vet bills.
However, all of Tonka's vet bills have already been paid.
“After talking to Terry, she asked us if there was anything we could do to help out other elk hounds,” Williams said. “We came up with the idea of a memorial here in Pittsburgh at the Frick Environmental Centre, with a tree-planting ceremony in Tonka's honour.”
He said a bunch of people from the area who are aware of what happened to Tonka will be coming out, as well. They are all part of elk hound groups in the area, Williams said.
“We're all elkhound lovers,” he said. “You have to own one to understand it. They're very stubborn dogs, but they'll protect you to the end. Just knowing that Tonka's life ended short because someone else wasn't taking proper care of their own pets, it hurts.”
Matthews said she appreciates everything the group has been doing, and that she's happy Tonka will be memorialized.
“I really appreciate what they've done for us,” she said.
The owners of the two dogs that attacked Tonka were charged under the city's Animal Control Bylaw for allowing the dogs to attack (by not taking precautions to prevent them from roaming) and for allowing the dogs to run loose.
They also face a provincial charge to not taking reasonable precautions to prevent the animals from biting or attacking.
