Pit bulls attack woman, pet

By Brennan Clarke
News Group
Jun 01 2005

Dogs destroyed, says CRD bylaw officer

The two pit bulls that attacked an Esquimalt woman and her shi-tzu early Monday morning have been destroyed.
"(The owner) was very co-operative. He signed the (consent) order right off the bat for destruction," said Don Brown, the CRD's chief bylaw enforcement officer.
According to Victoria Police Const. Brendon LeBlanc, the two pit bulls attacked a woman walking a small dog in the 800-block of Viewfield Road at approximately 7:25 a.m.
A local resident allowed his pair of American Stratfordshires - a breed of pit bull into the front yard "to do their business," explained LeBlanc.
At the same time, the woman was walking her dog along Viewfield Road.
"The Stratfordshires ran out of the yard and attacked the smaller dog," LeBlanc said.
When the woman stepped into protect her dog, she was likewise attacked. Neighbours then jumped into the fray and managed to control pit bulls.
The woman sustained cuts, scrapes and dog bites to her hands. The shi-tzu sustained bites to its hindquarters but is expected to survive.
Bylaw enforcement has the option to levy a fine on the owner, but may decide against prosecution based on the owner's decision to co-operate with authorities, Brown said.
Giving up the dogs for destruction may help the owner avoid a costly civil lawsuit, he added.
The two animals had been the subject of previous complaints, Brown said.
LeBlanc suggested that a modest degree of forethought would have prevented the incident. The dogs should either have been contained inside a fenced-off area or on a leash, he said.
"The message that we'd like to send out is that whether you're in your yard or not, your animals are your responsibility," LeBlanc said. Police may consider pressing criminal charges, LeBlanc added.
In Esquimalt, dogs must be on a leash at all times, save for a few designated off-leash areas.