A West Kelowna woman lost her best friend last week after a deer attacked her and her Pomeranian Elly at the Gellatly Nut Farm Regional Park.
Maren Corner tried to hold back her tears as she described the traumatic attack that occurred on the morning of Oct. 26 while walking Elly through the regional park – a place she had walked Elly “many, many, many times” before.
Maren noticed three deer near the path – possibly a larger mother with two smaller ones – but she didn't think much of it, as she regularly sees deer there.
Elly was on a leash while the pair walked near the southern edge of the park. But as they neared the park's exit, the larger deer came up behind Maren and kicked her in the back.
Shocked by the attack, Maren dropped Elly's leash and the small dog ran off, scared by the large animal.
“I was so shocked I probably dropped the leash of my dog and my dog runs to the other side,” Maren said. “The deer was now focused on Elly and trampled her. Came back and forth to her ... She trampled her in front of everybody to death, and nobody could help.”
Maren says a number of other people witnessed the attack.
“People were screaming, but nobody could go, it was too dangerous to do anything,” she said.
The attack lasted several minutes, until several construction workers who were working in the area used large branches to corral the deer away from the small dog.
"[The deer] didn't do it all at once, she just kicked her many times. When Elly tried to get away or start moving, [the deer] just belted her,” Maren said.
After the deer left, another woman picked up Elly's lifeless body and helped take Maren to her car. Maren then took Elly to the nearby Carrington Animal Hospital where they confirmed Elly had died.
Elly turned seven years old just two weeks before the attack. Maren has lived with Elly since the small dog was just a puppy, and the death has left her completely devastated.
“I've never seen anything like it ... Every day, all I see is that little thing moving. As soon as she'd move, it would hit her. She's trying to get away but she can't,” Maren said. “This will be in my head forever.”
Maren spent all her time with Elly, and people rarely saw her out on the town without her best friend.
“She was a funny dog, she was really, really good. No problems, you could take her anywhere. Just a wonderful dog to have,” Maren said.
“It was basically just me and her. And most people knew us, because she had a little tram she sat in and wherever I went shopping, I could take her inside ... Nobody ever saw me without her.”
Maren doesn't know the names of the people who helped her, but wanted to publicly thank them for helping her during the traumatic event.
She says the regional district has posted a warning in the park following the incident, and she wants to warn others who frequent the area to be aware of the aggressive deer.
“There were so many people who were there that day with their dogs and little babies and kids running around. People have parties there,” Maren said. “When I told people after, they had no idea ... It only takes the one time.”
Maren's daughter Dawn flew in from Calgary to help her mother cremate Elly. Maren says they plan to make a small memorial for her best friend to leave in Gellatly Nut Farm Regional Park.
The terrible incident comes shortly after Maren was evacuated from her West Kelowna home this past summer during the McDougall Creek wildfire.
