Man stabbed trying to save dog during violent encounter

Police continue to search for a suspect wanted in connection with a violent encounter involving a man and his dog in downtown Barrie last week.

David Mac Donald was walking his dog, Gibson, near Meridian Place on August 6 when he said he noticed three men kicking chairs at the square.

"The dad in me came out, so I was kind of like, 'Hey guys, stop kicking chairs," he said.

That's when Mac Donald said one of the men confronted him, and the situation quickly escalated.

"I started warning him, like, don't come near me, don't approach me," Mac Donald recalled.

The Barrie man said he acted in self-defence, hitting the suspect, who he claims pulled out of a knife.

Mac Donald took off down Owen Street with the man in pursuit. He said when he stopped to turn around, the suspect stabbed Gibson's back end.

Mac Donald said he was stabbed twice while trying to defend his dog.

The suspect eventually ran off, and so too did Gibson.

Mac Donald said he frantically searched for his injured dog. "From downtown to my place, the whole time screaming my dog's name. When I got home, I found him here."

While Barrie police commend his heroic actions, they urge anyone in similar situations, no matter how minor, to contact the authorities instead.

"The outcome could have been much more tragic," said Peter Leon, communications coordinator with Barrie Police Services. "[The suspect] was in possession of a weapon that I'm sure the victim didn't know he possessed, and he was not afraid to pull that weapon out and use it."

Leon also said the public should avoid recording a crime in progress because "that could create or escalate a confrontation."

Mac Donald agreed with the police service, adding no one should put themself at risk. "But somebody has to say something," he added.

Mac Donald and his dog are recovering from the incident as police urge anyone with information to come forward.

A safety pilot project is underway to keep the downtown core safer with increased police presence.

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