A roaming pit pull terrier mauled a 9-year-old golden retriever at Barrett’s Park on Sunday, May 15, according to the Boothbay Harbor Police Department.

Boothbay lobsterman Brady Pearce said he was unloading a trailer full of traps at about 5:30 a.m., while his canine companion, Buddy, was lying by the trailer enjoying the quiet morning.

Then “out of nowhere” a black pit bull terrier appeared and began viciously attacking Buddy, Pearce said. Cindy Pearce said the pit bull bit Buddy in numerous places on the forepaws and back legs and then gripped onto Buddy’s nose and mouth and would not let go.

Brady Pearce said he punched the pit bull several times but it continued in its attack. Then he grabbed one of his traps and hit the pit bull about 30 times before it finally let go and ran away. He said the dog’s behavior was like something out of a horror movie.

Pearce said he placed the badly injured, bleeding Buddy into his truck and rushed him to the Midcoast Animal Emergency Clinic in Warren.

According to the police report, while Pearce was en route to Warren, he called Robbie Begin and asked him to close the gate to the park. When Begin arrived at the park, he looked for the pit bull but could not find it. Fearing the dog could still be dangerous, he called the Boothbay Harbor Police Department.

Officers Tom Chryplewicz and Nick Upham responded to Barrett’s Park and began a search of the area. They eventually found the pit bull’s body near some stacked lobster traps by the break wall. Animal Control Officer David Pratt arrived on scene, confirmed the dog was dead, and removed the body.

Meanwhile, Pearce was trying to reach Warren before it was too late. By the time he arrived, Buddy had lost a lot of blood and was unconscious, Cindy Pearce said.  In addition to the bite wounds and blood loss, Buddy’s palate and canine and other teeth had been broken. At Midcoast Emergency Clinic, Buddy was stabilized and was operated on to remove the broken teeth. Cindy Pearce said he was moved on Monday from Midcoast to Boothbay Animal Hospital. He is now stable and at home, but may face reconstructive surgery in the future.

According to the police report, the pit bull was owned by Lee Doggett of Atlantic Avenue. She told Pratt that when she arrived home from work at 6 p.m. Saturday evening, her door was open and the dog was gone. According to the report, Doggett said she found it odd the dog was gone, but did not attempt to locate it. On Monday, Doggett’s roommate, Chris Finch, told police that he had looked for the dog Saturday night but had been unable to find it.

BHPD Chief Bob Hasch said Tuesday that the incident was still under investigation. The pit bull was not up to date on its vaccinations and animal control still had the dog’s body, Hasch said. There are currently no plans to test the pit bull for rabies since it had no known contact with humans, the chief said. Buddy was up to date on his rabies vaccinations and will be officially under quarantine for 10 days.

As difficult as the situation has been for the Pearce family and Buddy, Cindy Pearce said she was glad her husband was at Barrett’s Park on Sunday morning.

“Thank God, my husband was down there. Because later there would be more people walking dogs and children playing. Someone else might not have been able to fight him off,” she said.

“I’d also like to thank everybody for their good wishes and phone calls. We really appreciate the community’s support.”