North Shore Outlook
By Jennifer Maloney
Staff Reporter
Mar 17 2005
The two dogs that allegedly attacked a 54-year-old North Vancouver man last August have been kept at the District's animal shelter for seven months and are likely to stay there until November.
A North Shore-based animal advocacy group says the impoundment of the dogs is destroying them psychologically.
"You only have to imagine yourself being kept in a cell and not knowing how you're going to get out," said Judy Stone, president of Animal Advocates Society of B.C. "It's absolutely inhumane."
The dogs, a pit bull and an American Staffordshire bull terrier, were taken into custody at the District of North Vancouver's Animal Welfare Shelter after a man was reportedly bitten several times on his chest in the 1,400-block of Dominion Ave. at Mountain Highway.
Their owner, Ken Whittle, said they were locked up in his office at the time of the attack and he can't understand how they would've instigated the attack.
Both dogs are currently being kept in 9-by-20 foot kennels -the equivalent of two regular-sized cages - and are expected to stay there until the case goes back to court this winter.
A spokesperson for the animal shelter said they have regular access to a 20-by-40 foot yard and are permitted to exercise whenever the owner comes by to make an appointment.
"We take good care of them every day," said Norm Nikkel, administrator for the shelter. "We feel they're in a good state of health."
Nikkel said dogs that come into the shelter are typically returned to their owners within an hour to a month, but on rare occasions they do have animals that stay beyond a year.
"It's definitely not an ideal situation for a dog," Nikkel said. "The municipality seized the dogs after the alleged attack and has a responsibility to take care of them until the court makes its decision."
But Stone said municipalities should be working to protect citizens from dangerous dogs by passing bylaws that prevent people from breeding dangerous dogs or owning dogs inherently bread to be dangerous.
"If they don't do that we will continue killing dogs forever," Stone said. "We've asked every municipality to ban the keeping of yard dogs and guard dogs - it shouldn't be legal in a civilized society."
Stone said municipalities traditionally wait until an incident occurs, and sadly the victims of the attacks are often children. She said communities would be better off spending money on stopping dogs from being used as weapons than on expensive court cases.
"It seems to me like a no-brainer."
Whittle was unable to comment on his dogs' conditions for legal reasons, but said his lawyer is hoping to have the case moved to April.
If the dogs are found innocent of the alleged attack, Stone said they may be able to recover from any psychological damage caused by their impoundment.
"It depends on the dog," she said.
"Some dogs would be damaged beyond recovery and some would recover."