A Canton man who owns two pit bulls faces multiple charges in connection with an attack on a llama last Friday in Monmouth.
Following two days of searching by police, sheriff’s deputies and animal control officers, Corey LaMontagne, 33, of Route 108 was charged Tuesday with two counts each of owning a dangerous dog, having unlicensed dogs and having dogs at large.
LaMontagne was being held at the Androscoggin County Jail on an unrelated warrant when he confessed, said Michael Costello, Monmouth’s animal control officer.
“He turned around and admitted the whole thing,” Costello said.
LaMontagne told police that he was visiting a friend last Friday in Monmouth when the two dogs ran loose and attacked the llama at Snafu Acres Farm on Tillson Road.
Farm owner Ivan Smith witnessed part of the attack. He saw the dogs run to an SUV that drove off.
Costello spent most of Monday and Tuesday trying to find the dogs and their owner, he said. Police officers in Monmouth and Winthrop helped. So did the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office and Wendell Strout, Lewiston-Auburn’s animal control officer.
Smith’s description of the dogs — one blue-tinted, one black and white — helped authorities find their veterinarian and connect with LaMontagne.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 16.
Until then, he is required to call Costello before leaving home. If he leaves with the dogs, they must be leashed and muzzled at all times, Costello said.
Ivan Smith’s wife, Nancy, said she was grateful that LaMontagne was found.
“We are both relieved that the dogs won’t be back,” she said.
She has been heartened by the recovery of the llama, named Abra.
The 20-year-old llama’s first nights and days after the attack were rough. He suffered puncture wounds and tears to his lips, ears, nose and neck. In some places, the wounds tore deep enough to reach cartilage.
On Thursday, he was home in his pen. His wounds were largely hidden by a thick, brown coat of fleece.
“I think his coat played down the amount of blood that was there,” Nancy Smith said. But he is feeling better. “His breathing is much better today.”
His condition has been followed on Facebook, where he has more than 150 friends, Smith said.
“People have been genuinely concerned about Abra,” she said.
dhartill@sunjournal.com
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- Abra, a 20-year-old llama at Snafu Acres in Monmouth, is recovering from injuries sustained last Friday when he was attacked by two pit bulls.
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