Frank Vantroba faces two charges: criminal negligence causing bodily harm and unlawfully causing bodily harm. They were laid after an 11-year-old boy was bitten inside a boarded outdoor rink in November, 2012.
Under questioning by Crown Attorney Deborah Kinsella, Vantroba (through an interpreter) said he was familiar with dog-training, having worked with many dogs since he took an interest in training in his home country of Czechoslovakia when he was 15. Much of his work included training dogs for military and police use.
If he trained military and police dogs, he is even more responsible than a "regular dog owner".
The dog involved in the 2012 incident, named Big Brown, was an Old English Bulldog, but was much larger than normal. Vantroba said he had trained the dog himself.
OK, bring the dog in to court and PROVE THAT THE DOG IS "TRAINED" TO STAY BY YOUR SIDE.
The man testified that on the day of the incident he was training some puppies while also taking Big Brown for a walk, and had been using the Tarbutt Park rink as a training area. He said he was teaching the puppies to stay near him at all times.
Vantroba said Big Brown, who is trained to stay near him, strayed away but he didn't notice as he was paying attention to the puppies. He said the dog was out of his sight for only five or ten seconds.
Vantroba said he heard the bulldog running away from him, saw it run toward the victim, Dante Mekanak, and then observed the dog move vertically. He did not know for certain, he said, if the boy and the dog made contact.
Vantroba testified he didn't realize the victim was hurt, as he saw only a 'light scratch' above his eyebrow, while the boy's hands were covering his mouth.
He told the court he did not ask the youth if he was okay but believed he was fine as he had not fallen down.
The trial will continue November 10th with the recall of Cst. Elvish as a witness.
(CBC News - Oct 16, 2014)
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