Pit bull attack leaves small dog injured

A pit bull attack over the weekend in St. Catharines has left a tiny “Yorkie mix” injured — and traumatized. And it’s also left the dog’s owners wondering how in a province with a strict pit bull ban — this could happen?.

Saturday afternoon, Katie Hutchinson was walking her dog “Sophie”. They took a turn down Nickerson Avenue in St. Catharines north end. That’s when Katie saw a big dog walking down the street on its own: “It just grabbed Sophie on the leash or something and I felt it pull back. And then I heard Sophie yelp.”

Katie says the dog then jumped on her. Sophie ran. They found her in a window well bleeding. Mark says: “And I reached in and picked her out of there. She yelped. The blood was all over her. It started to go all over me. She was covered in it.”

Sophie was left with a series of puncture wounds.

Charlotte MacDonald was looking after the pit bull: “We’re sorry about it. My whole family is sorry about it.”

The dog that attacked Sophie belongs to Charlotte MacDonald’s daughter and son-in-law. Her name’s Bella. She’s a ten-year old pit bull who was born before the ban took effect. That Saturday, Bella got out of her yard.

Charlotte MacDonald: “She’s never bitten anybody. There are dogs all around us, If a dog barks at her, her back goes up.”

They’ve offered to pay Sophie’s vet bills.

Kevin Strooband, the Executive Director of the Lincoln County Humane Society says there isn’t much they can do in this case other than to charge the owners will allowing
the dog to be loose. The matter would have to be taken to provincial offences court to impose any other penalties.

Mark Hutchison: “I really do not want this to happen again to somebody else. Because you never know until this happens to you.”

Charlotte MacDonald: “I can’t say anything more than what I’ve said. So whatever becomes of it, becomes of it. We’ll follow whatever rules the humane society sets out for us.”

There are strict rules for pit bull owners. The dogs have to be muzzled when they’re off the property. And they also have to be registered at city hall. And it must be proven that they are spayed or neutered.