Gerard Butler Dog Smacking Scandal

August 27th, 2009 by Castina

Gerard Butler has found himself at the center of a Michael Vick-esque canine controversy after his pug, Lolita, got into an altercation with a greyhound in New York City this week.

Bauer-Griffin

A local man claims the actor smacked his dog. Butler’s pet pug, Lolita, was allegedly unleashed and approached the greyhound, owned by Fred Varecka, on a Queens street Monday.

“This pug approached us from the right and we pulled our dogs back and we had full control of them. Mayfly (greyhound) got a little closer but he and the pug never came into actual contact and the next thing we knew was Gerard Butler came over shouting: ‘That dog should be put down!’” Varecka, a retired banker, fumed in a chat with RadarOnline Wednesday.

Butler tells a different story. A rep for the star claims Mayfly savagely attacked Lolita, who had to be treated at an Upper East Side vet for her injuries.

“My dog crashed into a fence before ‘yelping’ in pain,” Varecka claims. “I asked him: ‘What did you hit my dog for?’ But he just kept ranting and raving that our dog should be put down – it was unbelievable because the dogs never came into contact at any time.”

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5 Responses to “Gerard Butler Dog Smacking Scandal”

On August 27th 2009, Another opportunist wrote:

Here we go again! Another person wanting to extort money from a celebrity.

The facts are Lolita was bitten by the greyhound which is a lot bigger than she is. Butler had to take her to the vet for stitches.

Pugs are small dogs and usually are carried around and that was why she wasn’t on a leash.

If your small dog was attacked by a larger dog, wouldn’t you try and rescue it. All the greyhound got was a smack on the nose.
On August 27th 2009, joan wrote:

A greyhound is a hunting dog used for centuries for killing hares and rabbits. They should be muzzled as no matter how domesticated you think they are this killing instinct is in the genes, They should not be trusted around small animaland certainly not near children Mr Butler was lucky to get lLolita back in one piece as the greyhound bites in the back of the neck to Kill, People please be aware, keep these dangerous animals muzzled.

Joan (HUG) xx
On August 27th 2009, john wrote:

Joan get your facts straight i have had probably 50 greyhounds go thru my house in the past year and a half as i am a foster home an they are the most gently dogs i have ever come in contact with .butler should have had his dog on a leash i mean come on big dog meets small dog what the hell do you think is gonna happen. get some brains people come on this is getting to big now. nc
On August 27th 2009, Choolay the Pug Lover wrote:

I think it’s pretty disturbing to write that Gerard Butler is finding himself at the center of a “Michael Vick-esque canine controversy.” Protecting one’s beloved pet from harm does not even compare to the brutal actions of Vick who consciously, repeatedly and cold-heartedly electrocuted, tortured and slaughtered animals for entertainment. That statement is not only slanderous against Mr. Butler, but also trivializes the magnitude of such deliberate and horrific violence against innocent animals by Michael Vick, who in my opinion is a complete sociopath.

It is important to keep in mind that dogs are animals and do as animals do. They socialize and they also communicate limits. In the real world, dog quarrels happen and good dog owners are vigilant and break it up before the energy escalates to where an animal can get harmed. This is not uncommon, and Butler seems to have responded in a manner that any concerned pet owner would. That is if anyone even knows the real truth of what happened.
On August 28th 2009, Sandy wrote:

Since the incident happened so close to where
Mr. Butler was filming, and since the couple are
self professed Butler fans, I think this was
probably an attemp to meet Mr. Butler and the
whole thing went terribly wrong leaving Mr. Butler
to have to save his tiny pug from a much larger
dog. As a result of seeing his beloved pet in
such danger he panicked and lashed out
verbally, as any of us probably would have done
at someone with an animal supposedly under
control is allowed to attack a much smaller
animal. My first reaction would probably have
been exactly the same, that an animal that will
attack a smaller animal in a supposedly controlled situation should be put down. I know
I would feel like that at the time the incident
occurred because I would be shocked an terrified
that my animal could have suffered fatal injuries.
I probably would have changed my mind later, that
I would not want the animal put down, but that I
would like to see it better contained. The tiny pug
could easily have been a child that came in close
contact with this dog.
I hate this incident occurred. It has left a bad
image of Mr. Butler that I don’t think he deserves.
His concern was for his beloved pet, and I am
sure he was probably in a state of shock at the
thought of her possibly being mamed or killed.
We all feel that way when someone we love is
threatened, whether it be human or animal.