The owner of a Norwegian elkhound that had to be euthanized due to severe injuries after it was attacked by two other neighbouring dogs said she was very happy when city staff knocked on her door Saturday morning to tell her they had seized the two dogs.
“It’s not just concerns for other people’s pets. There are a lot of kids around here,” said Terry Matthews, who had to euthanize her dog Tonka after the attack in her Lively neighbourhood on Jan. 4. “I told them (the city) that could have been my grandson outside that morning.”
Matthews said many of her neighbours lived in fear after Tonka was attacked, and would only let their pets out for short periods of time.
Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini said the city used the Dog Owners Liability Act to obtain a warrant from the judge and remove the two dogs from a neighbour’s home.
Under the act the owner of a dog is liable for damages resulting from a bite or attack by the dog on another person or domestic animal.
Matthews said her family is looking into legal options they can pursue following the attack, but said she could not provide more details at this time.
The two dogs the city seized, which Matthews has described as husky and a bull-mastiff mixes, were brought to a shelter.
Matthews said whatever happens with the dogs they should not be kept together. “They’re considered pack dogs,” she said.
Vagnini said it’s possible the dogs could be euthanized.
