Skip to content

Cambridge Humane Society trying to find home for dog believed to be dangerous

Cambridge woman who was attacked by a dog claims the Humane Society made a mistake by not publicly disclosing its past troubles
dog-cambridge
The Cambridge Humane Society posted this photo of the Presa Canario mix named Heidi on its social media channels earlier this month.

The Cambridge District Humane Society (CDHS) is being accused of trying to adopt a dog that's considered dangerous after it recently attacked a woman as she walked her own dogs along a road in Cambridge. 

In July, Sara Clark was attacked by two dogs and she is convinced one of them, named "Tiny," is currently up for adoption at CDHS.

"I don't have a problem that they adopt this dog out. I have a problem with the manner in which they were doing it," Clark said. 

The brindle Perro de Presa Canario mix named "Heidi" was posted a few weeks ago by the humane society and described as a five-year-old "stray" and "no one knows anything about my past." 

Clark, who kept in contact with the owner of the dogs who attacked her confirmed he did surrender his two dogs to the humane society and that they were not strays. She added that the owner told her the dog was five years old and was surrendered just over a month ago. 

To come to the conclusion the Heidi being adopted out by CDHS was actually Tiny, Clark noted the dog's specific age in the post; five years, which is what was disclosed to her by the dog's former owner, plus the one month two days the dog had been in the care of CDHS. 

Photos of Heidi and Tiny show dogs with similar colour and patterns, the same distinct white patches on their chests and markings across their heads. 

Despite these similarities, executive director of the CDHS, Michelle Gellatly won't confirm the validity of Clark's claims. 

"We have to keep a lot of information confidential due to the circumstances we deal with and CDHS will not share confidential information with the public," Gellatly said. 

This claim was previously reported by other local news outlets and prompted the removal of Heidi's listing from the CDHS adoption page.

Gellatly said the page was only removed from the site to protect the dog from public scrutiny as "she does not deserve that."

"It has not been confirmed, nor will it be, that our dog is the dog in their search," she said. 

Clark is disappointed with CDHS and adds that she has been on the inside working with shelters and rescues and there is no reason for them to hide information about the dog's past. 

Both dogs that were involved in the attack were recently involved in an investigation by CDHS officers and the second dog, Capone, a pitbull mix, was designated as "dangerous" and not listed by the organization for adoption. 

In conversations with animal control officers, Clark states that she has "heard what animals come out and which ones don't" and thinks Capone was likely euthanized. 

The CDHS did not confirm or deny any questions about euthanizing animals, but did say that their priority is to find the dog a loving home. 

"That dog needs to be in a specific home with structure and boundaries, proper behavioural assessment and not being adopted out to the general public unsuspectingly," Clark said. "It's a liability." 

Gellatly noted that any potential adopters would have an honest conversation with her staff so they can make an informed decision before adopting.

If this is the same dog that attacked her, Clark hopes it goes to a rescue that deals with rehabilitating dogs with behavioural issues or troubled pasts. 

"I don't have a problem with this dog having a fighting chance. I have a problem with an unsuspecting family getting a potential liability. Can you imagine if some child got hurt?" Clark said. 



Joe McGinty

About the Author: Joe McGinty

Joe McGinty is a multimedia journalist who covers local news in the Cambridge area. He is a graduate of Conestoga College and began his career as a freelance journalist at CambridgeToday before joining full time.
Read more