On Wednesday, May 26, Laramie resident Jennifer Gorham’s dog Angel was mauled and killed by two larger dogs at the University Heights apartment park.
Gorham was with her friend Sherry Davis when the incident occurred. The two women had taken Angel, a Pomeranian chihuahua mix, and Tobi, a Jack Russel terrier mix who belongs to one of Gorham’s neighbors, on a walk before returning to the property.
On a typical day, Davis and Gorham would sit at the gazebo and chat before Davis had to bring Tobi back to his home.
“Sherry was going to throw away the dog poop bags, and I was going to meet her at the gazebo to have a cigarette together. I got a phone call, so I took the call and the next thing I knew, Sherry was hollering and screaming for help,” Gorham said.
Davis said she was throwing the bags away when she saw two larger dogs out of the corner of her eye.
“They came at me fast. No owners, no leashes, nothing. Next thing I know they have him [Tobi] and I’m still holding on to his leash,” Davis said. “I’m 67 years old. I’m on blood thinner and I have torn shoulders that I can hardly even do my hair with. Tobi is alive today only because of two things – the adrenaline that hit me and the grace of God.”
Davis said that she kicked the dogs and screamed for help, but they would not stop attacking Tobi until a resident at the apartment opened their door. The noise distracted the dogs, and Davis was able to get Tobi out of harm’s way.
“I took my hands and reached down below and picked Tobi up over my head. Tobi weighs over 20 pounds, and like I said, I have not had the surgery I’m supposed to have on both arms. How I did that, I don’t know,” Davis said.
It was at this time that Gorham walked across the playground to see what was happening.
“It’s gravel on the playground, and I’m assuming that’s what alerted the dogs to my presence. Then they beelined to Angel. Before I knew it, one dog got her and I jumped at the dog trying to get him off. He wouldn’t let go and he was just shaking her and shaking her.
I was on the ground screaming bloody murder. ‘You’re killing my dog, you’re killing my dog’,” Gorham said.
“Those dogs didn’t even see Jennifer. All they saw was precious little Angel,” Davis said. “When I turned around, all I saw was Jennifer screaming.”
Gorham said that a man came running from one of the apartment buildings, sat on the dog that was attacking Angel, and squeezed its throat until it dropped her.
“That dog let go of Angel after he did that, and then the other dog grabbed her and pulled her so hard it broke her free from her leash and threw her,” Gorham said.
Davis said she knew that Angel was gone when she saw the first dog shaking her.
Gorham said that one of her friends at the complex came out and picked Angel up.
“I asked if she [Angel] was okay, and my friend just shook her head. From that point, I just remember bits and pieces,” Gorham said. “I remember I was the one that called 911 and told them they killed my dog, and the lady was like ‘calm down, calm down.’ It’s like, I couldn’t.”
Gorham said that Angel suffered several bites on her torso and back and was thrown so hard that her spine was severed. She said that the horrific attack affected the community at University Heights.
“All these people came to my aid. It seems that it brought the community together as a whole with the sorrowful mourning of Angel.
“Everybody that I know here knew my dog. She was the sweetest thing ever. She wouldn’t bite, she wouldn’t bark. She would let you pet her. She loved kids. She went everywhere with me,” said Gorham.
Davis said that Tobi has made a full physical recovery from the attack, but he has been affected mentally.
“Tobi is reacting to big dogs that are well behaved that we’ve passed many times over the years,” Davis said. “He has healed very nicely but he’s been traumatized. He goes out looking for Angel like, ‘Where’s my little friend?’”
Gorham said that this loss was especially difficult for her because Angel was given to her as an emotional support animal when her husband passed away 6 years ago.
“One thing I want people to understand is that Angel was not just a dog, she was everything to me,” said Gorham. “She was my fur child and my emotional support dog, and it absolutely crushed me. My fiancé rushed home when he got the call. Angel was like a daughter to him. She was so much a part of our lives.”
Gorham and Davis said that the two large dogs were returned to their owner from the animal shelter the day after the attack took place, and the owner has yet to appear in court.
“If a dog kills another dog, it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when it’ll happen again,” Gorham said.
“I’ve never been afraid of any dog, any size, any breed. But now, after this happened, I couldn’t stop shaking,” said Davis. “I never thought I would witness something so vicious in my entire life from a dog.”
Both Gorham and Davis said they were thankful that no children or people nearby were hurt.
“There were other people on the playground. There were children outside playing,” Gorham said. “I have 2 grandkids that live in this complex. Heaven forbid if it had been one of them.”
For more information on the city-wide leash law in Laramie that is enforced on all spaces that are not the owner’s property, click here: https://www.cityoflaramie.org/980/Leash-Law-Information
