Are dogs to blame for deadly mauling of miniature horse?

Owner believes so; police look into possibility as well

LAKE HELEN, Fla. – Ann Marie Blair couldn’t hold back her tears as she told News 6 on Monday about the moment she found her miniature horse Teddy mauled in his field.

“We were hoping to have a Merry Christmas with Teddy,” she said. “When I seen him, I fell to my knees. I had never seen something so vicious.”

Blair said she got home from work to see Teddy's muzzle shredded, with deep bite wounds and bleeding. If it weren’t for Teddy’s best friend Penny, he wouldn’t have survived for as long as he did, Blair said. Penny used her hooves to help Teddy fend off the attackers.

“She's actually his hero -- the reason he made it five days,” Blair said. “She saved his life."

After the attack, Teddy was rushed to a veterinary hospital in Ocala. He was starting to have breathing problems.

Blair made a GoFundMe page to help with the medical bills for Teddy, but then she got the news.

"Right after we left, he had taken his last breath and he had passed due to all (of the) injuries," Blair said.

Blair said she had rescued Teddy and brought him home five years ago. He wasn't just a horse. His personality was big and bold.

"Teddy was my best friend,” Blair said. “He would go in my living room and watch TV with me, and my husband would always say, ‘What is the horse doing in the house now?’”

Now Penny stands alone in her yard, without her smaller friend.

Blair said she doesn't want to see this happen to anyone else.

"I would like to see that these dogs get quarantined,” Blair said. “And the pet owner has to be responsible. Don't let it happen to anyone else's dog, cat, horse -- they don't need to go through what my family is going  through right now.”

Based on the horse's wounds, police believe pit bulls or mixed dogs could be responsible.

They did go out and search when it happened but didn't find anything. If you have information that can help with the investigation, you’re asked to call Lake Helen police.


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