A devastated dog owner in Vancouver is warning against excessive use of fireworks and firecrackers after her dog, who was scared by the loud explosions, ran onto the SkyTrain tracks and was fatally hit by a train.
Ali Fluevog was enjoying a Saturday afternoon in Trout Lake Park with her husband, two sons, and the family dog Maggie, a black Chow-Labrador cross. Her husband took Maggie and their youngest son to the off-leash area of the park, when explosions began to go off.
“We went during daylight hours because we know that during Halloween, lots of firecrackers and fireworks go off [at night], so we don’t take [Maggie] out after dark,” said Fluevog, explaining that Maggie was a rescue dog who was still skittish when it came to loud noises.
Maggie bolted at the explosions, and Fluevog’s husband alerted his wife. The family searched and called neighbours, until they heard Maggie had been spotted at the Nanaimo SkyTrain station.
When the family arrived, it was too late. Maggie had run down the tracks towards the 29th Street station, and was hit and killed by an oncoming train.
“We were able to get her collar back, but we weren’t able to see her,” said Fluevog. “They took her body to Animal Control, and the city’s been wonderful. Now it’s just about explaining it all to our kids.”
TransLink hasn’t issued a formal statement, but a spokesperson told Global News that transit staff had tried to coax Maggie back onto the platform at Nanaimo, during which time the trains were stopped. Maggie did jump back onto the platform, allowing trains to start again, but she jumped back down to the tracks and was hit before staff could stop the trains once more.
The spokesperson also said the staff involved with the attempted rescue were “traumatized” by Maggie’s death.
For Fluevog, the tragic incident is an opportunity to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again, and to warn both dog owners and fireworks enthusiasts alike about the dangers such products pose when set off in residential areas.
To the users of fireworks, Fluevog says, “Stop and think. Think about where you’re doing it, think about why you’re doing it…. In a dense city like Vancouver, where there’s so many dog lovers, it’s just not the place to do it. Go somewhere else.”
Lorie Chortyk of the B.C. SPCA says it’s important for dog owners to know that even if your dog is normally calm and unfazed by loud or unexpected noises, Halloween can prove to be a stressful time for an animal.
“We do really encourage people to always have their dogs on a leash if they’re out,” said Chortyk. “We recommend on Halloween night, if you have an anxious dog, to put them in a room as far away as possible from the front door, with some toys and treats and even a radio or television on, so they don’t get too spooked out by the strangeness of it all.”
Fluevog agrees: “Although your dog might not be happy with you for not being off-leash, keep your dog on a leash for the week before and the week after Halloween. It’s just not worth it.
“We miss our dog so much,” she added, saying that she adopted the “quite beaten up” dog from the SPCA seven years ago. “She loved to run, she loved the outdoors…. I always felt safer when she was around.
“She was my baby before I had babies.”
