the so sad video:
http://www.wkyc.com/video/default.aspx?maven_playerId=articleplayer&maven_referralPlaylistId=playlist&maven_referralObject=799652515
http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyid=93469&catid=45
Deer problems in Mentor escalate to attack on family dog
21July08
MENTOR -- It was just after breakfast Saturday morning when Allyson Weagraff and her two daughters heard their pug puppy yelping in the backyard.
"Unfortunately, it was at like 8 o clock, so the girls were awake and they heard my wife screaming," Chad Weagraff said. "She witnessed the whole thing."
What they saw was a doe stomping on the little dog.
"She was on a leash," Chad said.
A frantic Allyson began throwing canned goods at the animal, but it was too late. When her husband got to their Mentor home a few minutes later, the puppy was dead.
"I ran in the backyard cause I didn't think what she could be saying was true," Chad said.
The couple hopes an identical pug will comfort their two girls. Meanwhile, they can't help but think the outcome could have been even worse.
"Of course we were upset about the dog but then though, at least, thankfully, it wasn't the kids playing back here," Chad said.
Ohio wildlife officials say this was an unfortunate but isolated situation. It was probably an overprotective doe worried about her fawn. A more common problem is a deer vs. car.
"In the urban, suburban areas, you do see an increase in deer vehicle accidents," Scott Peters, a wildlife biologist, said.
Anyone who lives along busy state Route 306 in Mentor knows deer are a problem. In fact, residents asked the city to put up signs warning residents to be careful.
Frank Dolence has witnessed multiple accidents from his front porch.
"This poor lady, deer comes charging in, ran into her minivan, broke outside door," Dolence said. "It was terrible. She was shaking like a leaf."
There's no hunting in Mentor, leaving drivers and at least one heartbroken family looking for a way to thin the herd.
© 2008 WKYC-TV
