undefinedA hunter’s Chesapeake retriever was attacked by a shark Wednesday after leaping from a boat to fetch a downed duck.
The female dog, named Pepper, died from injuries sustained in the unusual incident near Port Medway, Nova Scotia.
The dog’s owner, who chose to remain anonymous, told the Global News that Pepper was retrieving her second duck of the morning when the attack occurred.
“It happened so quickly and was so shocking that even though I was looking right at her when it happened, I cannot say for certain what type of shark it was,” the hunter said.
The man hauled Pepper aboard, but she died shortly after. The shark, possibly a juvenile white shark, measured about 8 feet.
The hunter said he shared details of the attack with the Global News as a caution to area water users.
“I was very close to shore, in about 20 feet of water, and my dog was only in the water for a matter of minutes,” he said. “To my knowledge, this is the first time a dog has been taken during a sea-ducking hunt, and it is certainly the first time I have witnessed the violence of such an attack so close to my boat.”
–Great white shark image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas