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I'm sure that this is one of those instances where "One bad apple spoiles the barrell" (I am full of cliches today!)

This is such an unbelievably tragic and also maddenly "avoidable" accident! My sympathies to the owners and all involved with this horse. Such a shame....control your dogs people!

This dog needs to be put down, obviously.

So sorry Gardner, what a tragedy. This ban on dogs should have been in effect long before this happened.

Horse racing is disgusting. It is a cruel sport. Get rid of it.

TracyK - how bout you folks control your HORSE!! I dont believe anyone was all bent out of shape when a horse was running around Main St in Bangor. Accidents happen... so dont point fingers.

Yes spayyourcat if you have ever seen a sulky horse, they are really treated badly....Not, get a clue before you spew! Duh.

Too bad the horse couldn't give the little dog (no doubt an ankle biter) a hoof before he crashed.

Two incidents involving loose horses at Bangor Raceway in such a short time suggests that the horse handling/restraint protocols may need to be revisited. Instead of trying to ban anything that might spook a horse, the horsemen might want to consider holding their horses, pardon the pun, a little tighter.

mainehorsenut - dont say anything disagreeing with the others or they will hide your comment. its clearly the dogs fault! ahahahahaahah

The paddock area is where the HORSES belong... not where dogs belong. leave your dog at home.

i luv dogs but dogs should never have been allowed there, this all because Jon Johnson at Hollywood slots said it was ok but he was wrong

Huh, Justmy2cents.... Maybe that loose horse was a product of a loose dog?? Reguardless, the horses are not roaming freely, as this dog was? Obviously it was not under the owners control. Channel 5 news said the dog bit the horses hoof. The dog owner should be responsible for any fees the horse owner recieved from the vet or elsewhere. Some horses spook easier than others and dogs should have NEVER been allowed in the paddock unless it was a horse owners dog, in their own area, not around other horses. I've been to the horse races, know some of the horse owners also. I also love horses (But husband banned me from riding due to a broken hip and arm a year ago). I feel so badly for the horse owners. And im sure the dog owner feels like crap too.

Dogs are like babies and kids all ages they need to be under control at all times and not able to run as they please. If that is not possible they need to be left at home.

that is so sad vchapes, horses are fun to ride, hope you get to ride in the future

I hope so too!! She just spazzed out and decided to do backflips... when she jumped back we went about 10 feet in the air and she landed directly on top of me on her back, i never even came off the saddle. I had to get out from under her, before she got back onto her feet, and drag myself away; But i still love horses! And she was ok! All she got was a scratch from the barbed wire fence we plowed down backwards... how i'll never understand. The fence should have shredded us both. I just wished i had it all on video.

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My heart sunk when i heard this story on the news.

I hesitate to mention it but Maine has a leash law that requires that a dog be under the control of its owner/handler at all times. Most of the time that means leashed but a well trained dog may be at heel or stay under verbal command. It doesn't sound as if the owner/handler was anywhere near at the time, thus the dog was not under his control. Also as any livestock handler will tell you dogs that are not familiar to the liverstock (including horses) should not be there at all due to the possibility of injury to livestock, dog and /or persons in the area. Whether you like harness racing or not, under law, the dog owner is at fault through not having his animal under control. The dog may or may not be vicious but at the very least requires training. The owner of the dog is liable for injuries sustained to horse and property and should be fined under the leash law for not controlling his animal. This is a tragic event but don't blame the dog for the owner's sins and/or omissions.

yea its saddens me i luv dogs but i luv horses and im at the paddocks daily after work and i heard about this

Good point HappyHamps. JustMy2Cents--here's 2 more of mine. the incident with the horse certainly could have been just as bad, the horse spooked and got away from the handler, fortunately no one got hurt. . "you folks control your HORSE!" ?? Where is the owner out of control of the horse in this situation? The horse was at the track and in an area designated for horses and this dog rips into it resulting in its death? what was the dog doing there? It was taken there by someone's choice or it escaped from the owner and just happen to wander into the park and kill a horse? Either way, Accidents DO happen but you're comparing apples to oranges. Mentally balanced and SAFE dogs do not attack horses. If the dog was taken there by the owner and it had never been exposed to horses before it should have been on a leash at ALL TIMES given the environment the dog was put in.

Perfect happyhamps!! It's not the dogs fault it was taken to an unfamiliar place with these 'monsterous' animals all over the place. If the horse could have just kicked that little yapper though, i bet he wouldn't attack or go near another horse ever again.

TracyK - I was not referring to the horse that died when I said control your horse.. I was referring to the loose horse that was on main st awhile back.. People are flipping out because a dog spooked a horse and it died, yet no one flipped when there was a loose horse. Seriously which could do more damage? The answer is the horse, luckily that wasnt the case. My point was only that people should think before they flip out on things, an accident is an accident and only that. No matter how tragic

well 2cents, on that count I do agree with you 100%. And human nature being what it is, I think people reading that first story (re: the loose horse) and no one getting hurt think oh "haha what a funny story" when you are absolutely right, it could have been as bad as a car moose accident. A similar situation was in the paper last year with the horse that ran through MacDonalds after it got off the back of an open trailer (I believe in Skowhegan) Absolutely people need to be responsible for their animals. But a lose dog around horses especially if it is not familiar with them should be controlled. That was my point. Horses are flight animals and their instinct is to bolt when threatened so I am only stating the dog should have been leashed and the incident would not have been as tragic in the end.

spayyourcat... Cats suck

Bangor has a leash LAW. Letting a dog run is disrespecting the right of others.

THE WHOLE STATE OF MAINE HAS A LEASH LAW. THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE ALLOWED DOGS TO BE THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

They may ban dogs, but they can't prevent a service animal from being there.

All service dogs are in complete control of the disabled individuals that have them. The law allows service dogs to be with individuals that needs them no matter where that is.

It sounds like a stray dog got into an area it was not suppose to be. If the owner wasn't there, they still need to be charged for the damages done.

why would someone who needs a service dog be at a horse track? Even service dogs have to be on leash. And no where in the article does it even hint that the dog was stray.

Yeah... and if they were there with a service dog, chances are they won't be out with the horses. I don't think this dog was a stray... how did it get in??

My sympathies to the owner, it is never easy to lose an animal, I have lost two of my mares in the last 3 years and it still breaks my heart!

MurphyL treating a dog like that isnt right. A dog should be allowed to run as it pleases sometimes. If you train your dog right. BobByn How is letting a dog run around disrespecting the rights of others. Everyone i know lets their dogs run around all they want. Its called TRAINING. try it someday. Sad story though. Thoughts go out to the owners