City councillors to decide fate of dogs that attacked girl

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This article was published 17/05/2019 (2682 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The fate of two dogs who mauled a five-year-old Winnipeg girl last month is in the hands of a group of city councillors.

The dogs’ owner, Kingsley Heart, is appealing a decision by Winnipeg Animal Services to have the dogs declared “exceptionally dangerous,” which would result in their deaths by euthanasia.

The attack on five-year-old Semiah Laquette happened just before noon April 23, when she and her father were walking home from school in a back lane near their home the North End.

The dogs — 1 1/2-year-olds named Reggie and Ronnie — slipped out of their fenced backyard through an open gate and lunged at Semiah and began dragging the screaming child away. According to the CBC, Heart held one of the dogs while Gregory Ducharme punched the animal until he released his daughter.

An administrative report to the May 23 appeal hearing, states both dogs “attacked and mauled” the child, “causing significant injuries,” including large puncture wounds and lacerations to her head, face, ears, armpit, and chest that required multiple surgeries.

The appeal hearing is set to begin at 9 a.m., before councillors on the protection, community services and parks committee, in a committee room in the council chambers building.

The Winnipeg Police Service and animal services responded to the incident, which occurred near the girl’s home. The dogs were seized by animal services.

In the report, city animal services chief operating officer Leland Gordon said Heart described the dogs as American Bulldog-Border Collie cross but added both — which are from the same litter — appear to have characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier, a breed of dog prohibited within city limits.

According to the report, Heart told officials he can’t afford veterinary care for the dogs, adding they’ve never been seen by a vet and have not received the rabies vaccine; the dogs are not trained, and not licensed.

At a hearing at animal services April 29, the report states Heart said the attack was an isolated incident, the dogs are good with adults and children in his own home, and he has now secured the gate.

“This has been an extremely difficult incident for our team to investigate and address,” Gordon said in his report to the committee. “This was an exceptionally brutal and sustained attack, resulting in significant injuries on a child.

“As a result of representations made to me, it is my finding that the subject dogs Ronnie and Reggie are declared exceptionally dangerous and (should be) humanely euthanized.”

The Responsible Pet Ownership bylaw authorizes Winnipeg Animal Services to impound a dog that’s considered a threat or has bitten people.

If the committee upholds the exceptionally dangerous label, the dogs will be euthanized.

However, if the councillors side with Heart, the bylaw authorizes the animal services COO to designate the animals as “dangerous dogs,” which would impose strict conditions, including requiring the owner to have them microchipped, sterilized and have $1-million in insurance liability on the animals. They also must be muzzled at all times when off the property and on a leash or chain.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca