JOHN DAY — John Day City Council member Heather Rookstool is watching her back these days following a suspected chemical attack on her family dog.

Rookstool said the family’s pet bulldog, Zeta, was burned on her belly between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 10, at their residence on Northeast Seventh Avenue across the street from the skate park.

Anyone who may have seen something suspicious in the area at that time is asked to call the Grant County Sheriff’s Office at 541-575-1131.

The incident has left Rookstool shaken and wondering why somebody would attack her dog instead of coming to her personally and attempting to solve any issues they might have. The incident has also hit her in the pocketbook to the tune of a $425 vet bill she hadn’t budgeted for.

Rookstool said she can’t say for sure what the motivation behind the attack was but the timing is “convenient” considering it happened a day after she cast the only vote against putting the pool bond back on the ballot in November.

Even if politics wasn’t behind the incident, Rookstool said she wants the public to know someone in the community is hurting animals.

“Who’s to say it isn’t a random act that happened at my house? It could have been. There have been times in the past where we’ve had dogs poisoned in Mt. Vernon. There have been things that happen in Grant County in the past that were just random,” she said.

The veterinarian who treated Zeta was unable to determine exactly what caused the dog’s burns because of a decision to not perform a skin biopsy on the animal following the attack. Rookstool said that decision was made due to the amount of stress the animal had already endured.

Efforts to identify other possible reasons for the burn marks on Zeta’s stomach began immediately after her condition was discovered, with all but a deliberate attack being essentially ruled out.

“We checked to make sure there was no noxious weeds because bulldogs have sensitive skin,” Rookstool said. “We checked off every box we could think of. A weed, a sunburn, even a car accident. … People keep coming at me with all these different ideas and I’m like, ‘You’re not helping, we’ve already done that.’ Unfortunately, nobody wants to think about it, but it’s looking like something was put on her skin.”

The incident has left Rookstool wondering if she needs to look over her shoulder now and possibly carry Mace everywhere she goes. If it was a deliberate attack, Rookstool said, it won’t deter her from continuing to be the lone “no” vote in city council meetings if her convictions tell her she needs to be. If anything, she said, the incident has inspired her to continue doing what she is doing and has given her an added drive.

Despite that added drive, Rookstool said she never thought her position and votes at city council would lead to her family being put in danger. “I never thought being on city council would make me fear for my safety in my own community,” she added.

Rookstool said if the individual who attacked her dog is reading this article, she wants to tell them that the way they’re going about things isn’t going to bring change.

“You’re not going to make any changes hiding behind this, so confront it face to face but don’t be a coward. It’s hard to put into words that are respectful because there are so many things I would love to say to this person and I hope I get to say to this to them,” Rookstool said.

There is a $550 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the individual or individuals responsible for the suspected chemical attack on Rookstool’s dog.