BUTTE — A clay paw print and photographs are all that remain of a beloved pet that was attacked by two dangerous dogs its own backyard.
"This is....that’s his bed, and that’s our little kitty, not letting him lay on his own bed. That just shows how gentle he was," says Samantha Hackman, the owner of seven-year-old Clyde.
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Hackman scrolls thourgh images of her dog as she tells the heartbreaking story that unfolded on a typical week night when she her dogs, Minni and Clyde, out the back door to use the bathroom while she put her children to bed.
"They go and they do their thing, and then they come right back to this door, and they wait for us. That Thursday night though, Clyde, didn’t make his way back," said Hackman.
Around that time she was putting her children to bed, a neighbor texted Samantha that two big dogs that often roam the neighborhood were in the Hackman’s backyard. The neighbor referred to the dogs as "biters".
Concerned, Hackman went outside to look for Clyde.
"He was actually lying on this back couch, injured, bleeding...in really rough shape, but we didn’t quite understand the severity of his injuries."
Clyde always followed Samatha’s husband around everywhere. Over the years, the family invested a lot of time, money, and love into the special rescue dog who was well-known at the bank and her husband’s shop.
The morning after the attack Clyde was taken to the vet where he was examined and given a sedative for his severe pain.
"Even with the sedative, he was still just crying and moaning," said Hackman.
A body scan revealed that Clyde had internal bleeding. The Hackmans were faced with two devastating options: drive over mountain passes for an hour to get Clyde in for surgery that would cost anywhere from$10,000 to $17,000 or ...
"We ultimately made the decision... and it was terrible.... that we had him euthanized," said Hackman.
Now the Hackmans want to strengthen Butte-Silver Bow County’s animal ordinance and encourage enforcement.
"I don’t want his death to be for nothing."
In an email, Animal Services Manager Lynnette Hogart says Butte-Silver Bow County is in the process of “making sweeping changes based on enforcement data” to the county's ordinance. She says the county is working to repeal and replace the existing code that was established in the 1980s.
"BSB County Attorney’s office recommended we make all the changes and do a complete repeal and replace of the entire Chapter 6 at one time. We have had an ordinance rewrite committee meet regularly over the last year and a half and are approaching a completed draft and will begin the final review in November and hope to have a final board-approved draft completed during our January meeting. We have had a few slowdowns due to other ordinance changes across other departments. Our changes need to properly align with other department ordinance changes, " said Hogart in an email.
A draft of changes will be presented to the animal services board, and once approved, it will head to the Council of Commissioners for public comment.
“Unfortunately, none of this will help the Hackmans or bring back their beloved Clyde, but with the changes we are proposing hopefully we can prevent it from happening to another family,” said Hogart.
According to Hogart, the county attorney has filed charges in this case.
