Toddler on First Nation killed by pack of dogs

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This article was published 24/09/2019 (2184 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A two-year-old boy was attacked and killed by a pack of dogs after he wandered away from his home at God’s Lake First Nation, police say.

Officers responded to the incident Monday, at about 12:45 p.m., and found the boy a short distance from his residence in a wooded area, RCMP said Tuesday in a news release. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Community members who entered to the forest near the scene while officers were still investigating were reportedly forced to shoot several dogs returning to the area.

God’s Lake First Nation Chief Gilbert Andrews would only say: “I am respecting the family’s privacy and will not make any comments.”

Another member of the First Nation, John Healey, said: “It’s a terrible thing… Everybody knows everybody, and it’s a very shocking thing.”

Healey, who works in nearby God’s Lake Narrows, said the community is saddened by the incident, especially because the boy was so young.

It can be dangerous when dogs get into packs, the local business owner said, however, he’d not heard of a fatal attack before.

Healey said community members are already helping raise funds for funeral costs, as extended family members will have to fly in to celebrate the toddler’s short life.

“It’s an absolute tragedy,” said Lindsay Gillanders, a spokeswoman for Manitoba Underdogs Rescue, which has helped spay and neuter dogs at participating Manitoba First Nations communities. “Our thoughts are with everyone who is affected.”

Gillanders said she doesn’t know enough about what happened to comment on the Monday’s incident, but during mating season “males will form packs — that’s when it becomes scary.”

She said the organization has not operated a program at God’s Lake. In other communities, it has made a noticeable difference, Gillanders said.

“We spay and neuter the dogs that are owned by people, so when they get out, they don’t breed with other dogs,” she said. “A dog gets loose and then there are seven puppies who no one owns and the problem explodes quickly.

“We’ve seen a great reduction in the populations of stray dogs in the communities we deal with.”

God’s Lake First Nation, a fly-in reserve, and the Métis community of God’s Lake Narrows, are located about 1,000 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca