CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — One month and four rabies shots later, Judith Meara still hasn’t found the dog that bit her inside a Charlottetown store earlier this year.
The Kensington woman says she was walking through the aisles at the Indigo book store on May 4 when she passed another woman with a small dog on a leash.
As she walked by, the dog whipped around and bit her leg.
Two teeth marks punctured Meara’s jeans and drew a little blood. She wasn’t in pain, but she was concerned about whether the dog had had its rabies shots.
When Meara confronted the woman, she picked up her dog.
Meara left the aisle to find her husband elsewhere in the store and to alert Indigo staff about the dog bite.
Meara again spoke to the woman, who said her name was Anne Jones. She didn’t want to sort things out there, so the Mearas agreed to exchange phone numbers with her.
Indigo employees were present for this conversation, and the working manager was made aware but was not present, Meara said.
According to Judith’s husband, Richard Meara, Indigo staff weren’t very helpful.
“They didn’t make any effort to protect any other people in the store,” he said.
After returning home, the couple waited an hour to call the phone number. A man on the other end of the line didn’t know what they were talking about.
That’s when the Mearas decided to involve the police.
Judith Meara went to the Prince County Hospital to get checked for rabies or other infections, while Richard dealt with the police.
Charlottetown police Deputy Chief Sean Coombs says police have made attempts to identify the woman since the incident.
“So, we could find out what the scoop was on the dog, and whether it had its vaccinations.”
But he says the investigation couldn’t go far because there wasn’t sufficient evidence.
“There was no surveillance provided, and the (Indigo) employees didn’t know who she was,” he said.
Because there was no way to know, the PCH doctor told Meara her only choice was to be vaccinated. She had two shots that day and had to schedule two more, forcing her to cancel a getaway.
“(Because) once you know it is rabies, it’s too late,” Meara said.
She has accepted she may never find closure, but she thinks Indigo could have handled the situation better.
“They should know the procedure and know what to do,” she said. “And be better prepared to protect their customers after an incident.”
Indigo’s Charlottetown manager told The Guardian he was unable to speak on the matter and referred the reporter to Indigo’s regional director in Atlantic Canada, Tony Hale.
Hale said all Indigo stores are dog-friendly, but this incident had nothing to do with the store other than it occurring there.
“That’s a personal matter between two customers,” he said.
On the other hand, Melissa Perri, PR specialist for Indigo Books & Music Inc, said in an email that the health and safety of Indigo customers is the company’s priority if a pet-related incident occurs in-store.
“We do everything we can to ensure the comfort of all parties, facilitate conversations between any customers involved, file an incident report, and involve local authorities where necessary,” she wrote.
If the local authorities become involved, Indigo will actively co-operate however they can, Perri said.
Judith and Richard Meara remain unsatisfied with how the local store handled things, with Richard describing the ordeal as a “nightmare.”
“We were just flabbergasted that the woman lied to us, and that nobody seemed to show any concern at Indigo whatsoever,” he said.
