It took a veterinarian 96 stitches to close a wound across four-year-old Cinta's back, after a 13-year-old Rottweiler-cross named Ryler was blamed for attacking the smaller dog in a north Chatham plaza last summer.
Ryler's owner, Ken Erickson, extended his hand in apology to Randy and Brenda Coote at the Chatham-Kent provincial offences courthouse, moments after acknowledging to a justice of the peace his dog had injured Cinta.
He also agreed to taking steps to ensure it wouldn't happen again.
Erickson, unable to speak in court or to the Cootes in person because he has throat cancer, used hand gestures and nodded his head.
A statement of facts read in court outlined the events that drew the strangers together when their dogs tangled on the evening of July 6.
Police were called to investigate a small dog attacked and seriously injured by another dog, the Crown told court.
A dog jumped out of a red convertible at about 8 p.m. and attacked a Pomeranian, said the Crown.
Coote told The Daily News he was giving his dog a chance to relieve itself while his wife picked up sandwiches at a sub shop, when a dog came running a distance of about 30 metres and grabbed his dog in its mouth.
Coote said a man helped to pull the larger dog off his pet, but left without talking to him.
"Why did you run?" Coote asked Erickson while the two men shook hands after court.
"I was scared," Erickson struggled to verbalize.
In an earlier report, Erickson told The Chatham Daily News a woman in his apartment building had his car and dog with her and he was not present at the time of the attack.
"I just wanted to get it over," Erickson told The Daily News hours after admitting his dog did the harm.
"They told me they wouldn't put Ryler down. So I agreed to get it over with. I never met him (Randy Coote) before," Erickson said.
"I didn't lie about nothing."
The Cootes left the courthouse happier to have received what they understood was an apology from the man who pulled his dog off theirs, but didn't stick around on the night of the attack.
In court, Erickson agreed to an order to post a sign at his property notifying visitors that a dangerous dog lived on the premises.
He is to keep his dog muzzled and on a leash no longer than one metre when outside and maintain a $1-million liability insurance policy.
The Cootes said they are satisfied with the resolution, adding their pet doesn't appear to have any lasting effects from the ordeal.
(Chatham Daily News - March 6, 2014)
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