Cattle Drive Dog Struck By Hit-And-Run Driver
LOOMIS, Calif. (CBS13) – A cattle dog is still in intensive care after a hit-and-run driver allegedly sped through a cattle run, targeting animals and people alike.
John Reader said he watched in horror as the driver of a Jeep gunned the engine and steered into the herd during the recent cattle drive. The actions did not appear to be accidental, he added.
"All of a sudden, he took his steering wheel and whipped it around and accelerated," John said. "I wanted to stop the guy and ask him, hey, what the heck is your problem?"
The vehicle plowed into a few cows and narrowly missed some horseback riders, but border collie Maggie took the brunt of the attack, John said.
"I heard the first wheel hit and I heard the second wheel hit, and I was just shocked," he said. "This is cruelty at its worst."
The Reader family has been herding cattle in the area for 150 years and has never experienced any similar attacks, he added.
Maggie's leg was broken and she suffered severe internal injuries, requiring a three-hour surgery to save her life, according to Dr. Michael Dearmin.
"Her stomach and spleen and some of her abdominal organs were up in her chest cavity," Dr. Dearmin said.
Community members have chipped in $2,000 to help pay down Maggie's $7,000 veterinarian bills.
The Sheriff's Department are working on a number of leads in the search for the suspect who was driving the white Jeep.
