In an unexpected encounter, Adam Walker, a Parksville-Qualicum MLA, finds himself in a wrestling match with a buck gone rogue. The incident, which unfolded at his Qualicum Beach residence last Thursday, showed the true bond between a man and his dog.
Walker had just returned home after dropping his children off at school when he came upon a haunting scene. His yellow lab, Pluto, was pinned on the ground by a large buck. It was a sight that called him into immediate action.
As Walker puts it, “Your dog’s a member of the family, you don’t think, you just leap into action.” And leap, he did. He trudged into the fray, grabbed the buck by its antlers, and hoisted it up, ultimately releasing his pinned companion, Pluto.
However, rescuing Pluto was far from the end. The enormous 90-kilogram wild creature shifted its fury onto Walker, leading to a 20-minute grueling battle. During this tussle, Walker sustained a gash on his leg, while Pluto was inflicted by several wounds on his belly.
“I’ve never encountered a deer this aggressive,” Walker said, reflecting on the harrowing encounter. “We’re heading into the rut and they tend to get a tad grouchy around this time of the year.”
Interestingly, this buck wasn’t unfamiliar to Walker. Just minutes before this incident, Walker had been the buck’s savior, rescuing it after it had tangled its antlers in a tree near his house.
The clash ended with a rather unexpected hero – a neighbor. The unnamed local arrived just in time and utilized their vehicle to safe distance the unruly deer, successfully driving it off.
Following the incident, Walker sought medical attention at the urgent care center in Parksville. The rest of his day consisted of rest and healing from what was, unquestionably, a day far from typical. An image of Walker in urgent care post-wrestling with the buck bears testament to the unexpected clash.
Always a family man, Walker proved once again that sometimes, heroes don’t just exist in fiction – they live next door, rescuing their dogs from aggressive bucks and teaching us about courage in the process.
