Lake Cowichan Gazette, March 3, 2004

By Doug Marner

A Rottweiller that attacked a girl at the A.B. Greenwell School playground will likely be destroyed this week.

Debra Juch, Lake Cowichan's animal control officer, said two girls had been teasing the dog on the afternoon of February 24. When the dog became aggressive, one of the girls started to run and the Rottweiller gave chase and bit her several times on her arms, leg and back.
The girl was taken to the Cowichan District Hospital in Duncan and treated for open wounds and lacerations.

"The dog has been impounded as a stray," said Juch. "No one has claimed ownership, although I believe I know who the owner is."

The dog was impounded in Duncan on Thursday and the owner has 72 hours to claim it. If the dog is claimed, the town would have 21 days to apply for a destruction order, which Juch said it would.

If the owner doesn't claim the dog, it could be destroyed as early as March 2.

"This would not have been as bad a situation if this had been a smaller dog, like a Yorkshire terrier, but it is a major problem when it's a big dog like a Rottweiller," said Juch. "This dog is 98 per cent great pet, two per cent community hazard."

The stray Rottweiller had been kept in an old bus by the mother of one of the girls. The girl and her friend took the dog out of the bus to the playground.

After the attack, police report that the dog was returned to the bus to await impoundment, but when Juch arrived the dog was not there. It took her a couple of days to track it down