River otters attack, injures family dog in Anchorage park

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – An Alaska man says he rescued his family’s dog from an attack by river otters in a small lake inside an Anchorage park.

Alaska Public Media reported Kenny Brewer waded waist-deep into Taku Lake and suffered a bite on his hand while pulling the dog away from the river otters that converged on the pet.

The 27-year-old Anchorage dietitian says he and his wife were walking the husky-mix, which was bitten by a group of otters that dragged the dog underwater temporarily.

Brewer says a veterinarian cleaned the dog’s cuts, sliced away damaged tissue and stitched a drain tube into its leg.

Wildlife biologists say they were not aware of previous attacks by river otters in Anchorage.

One biologist says the animals likely perceived the dog as a threat.

Information from: KSKA-FM, http://www.kska.org