BUCHANAN — Buchanan woman Jeccika Shepherd was enjoying an unusually sunny day Saturday as she took her two dogs, Milo and Otis, for their daily walk.

When, at around 3 p.m., she was approached by a man, dressed in baggy clothing, asking to pet her dog Milo, she did not think anything of it.

“Milo is a gorgeous dog. Ever since he was a baby, we’ve had people stop us in the street asking to pet him, so it was nothing new,” Shepherd, 26, said.

However, the routine moment would soon turn frightening for Shepherd, as when the man reached down to pet Milo, he grabbed his leash and attempted to steal him from Shepherd. When she refused to let go of the leash, the man attacked Shepherd, punching her in the face.

“I was absolutely terrified,” she said. “Not for my own safety, but for my dogs. … I just knew that I could not let go of that leash or he would take Milo from me.”

Though Shepherd was eventually able to scare the man off by attempting to attract attention of the people around her, the incident has left her shaken and wanting to ensure that what happened to her does not happen to anyone else.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Shepherd took to Facebook to share her story in a post that has now been shared more than 1,300 times.

She said she wanted to spread the word so that local dog owners would be on the lookout to ensure their animals’ safety.

“There is no doubt in my mind that [the man] wanted to sell my dog or use him for fighting,” Shepherd said. “Milo is very docile; he wouldn’t have survived a week in that environment. Most people’s dogs wouldn’t.”

Though the Facebook post has gained far more attention than Shepherd intended and has resulted in backlash from some who feel that Shepherd did not handle the situation well, she said that she does not regret making the post.

“I hope that because I said something, someone else is safe,” she said.

According to the Buchanan Police Department, Shepherd’s case is an isolated one, as no other reports of attempted dognapping or assault have been reported to the department.

“This is an active ongoing investigation,” said Deputy Chief Tim Ganus. “We are currently aggressively looking for the individual involved in this.”

Though the incident is isolated, Ganus advised Buchanan residents to always be aware of their surroundings to help prevent attacks like the one on Shepherd.

“If someone sees an event or a situation that makes them feel uncomfortable, they need to run away from that,” he said. “People should also always carry a cell phone, so that if they are involved in something like this, they can call the police right away, and we can start looking for these individuals right away.”

Ganus also advised that people try to gain the attention of others around them by yelling or screaming, so that someone may notice and come to help.

Should a dog be taken, Ganus said that people should take preemptive measures to help officers locate the dog after it is stolen.

“You can have your dog chipped, so that if we come in contact with it, we can have a vet run the chip and identify the dog,” he said. “Also, keeping information on the tags is very important so we can identify that animal, and having pictures of the animal so we can identify it is helpful.”

Shepherd complimented the police on the investigation they are running, saying that they have taken her seriously and she believes they are doing everything in their power to find the man who attacked her.

Despite this, she says that she has been cautious around town and has yet to again walk the trail where the incident occurred.

“Until the police [find the man who attacked me], I don’t want to run the risk of running into him. I don’t know where he could be lurking,” Shepherd said. “This is a safe place in Buchanan. You don’t expect something like this to happen.”

Shepherd described the man who attacked her as 5’10”, white and thin, with poor dental hygiene.

If anyone has information about this case, police encourage people to contact the Buchanan Police Department at (269) 695-5120.