CANADA -- The owner of a dog killed by another canine said the fine facing the offending pet’s owner and the possibility it could be spared euthanization is outrageous.
Irene Estay told the Sun a mastiff charged her and two of her grandsons in the Hawkwood area on Tuesday when it made a beeline to eight-year-old shih tzu Stanley, who was mortally wounded.
She said the owner of the mastiff then came out of her house and, without offering help or an apology, took the dog back into her home.
The mastiff is currently in city custody pending an investigation of the incident and its owner faces recommended fines of $1,100, though maximum penalties for the charges is $10,000 each.
On Friday, city animal and bylaw services coordinator Doug Anderson said it’s possible a judge could designate the mastiff a vicious dog and release it to its owners under strict control conditions.
Shih Tzu owner Melissa Estay said she’d disagree strongly if those penalties were levied, adding the offending dog should be euthanized.
“It would be absolutely terrible — these people are obviously not responsible pet owners and wouldn’t follow instructions,” she said.
“I feel sad for that dog because ultimately it’s the owners’ responsibility to train that animal.”
She said her sons were “petrified” following the incident in the alleyway,
“We’ve been telling our sons Stanley was a superhero, he was there to protect them,” she said, adding other neighbours said the mastiff had offended in the past.
Too many city dog owners minimize their pets’ attacks on other animals, said bylaw services’ Anderson.
“This is a thing we have problems with, in convincing them how serious an issue this is,” said Anderson.
“People don’t seem to take animals attacking animals as seriously as they do when they attack people, that it’s common for animals to fight each other — but it’s not.”
But he said that rehabilitation over pure punishment approach has generally worked well, with relatively few repeat re-offenders.
“We had probably about 30 recurrences last year and so far this year, less than 10,” Anderson said, adding dog owners have rarely fought euthanasia resulting from the repeat offence.
“We know there are more aggressive dogs out there than people are aware of, but people are responsible, we don’t get calls on them.”
If an investigation finds the mastiff is a repeat offender, the chances of euthanasia will be much higher, said Anderson.
(Calgary Sun - June 29, 2012)
