Owner of dogs in motel attack facing charges

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This article was published 04/03/2020 (1759 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The owner of four banned dogs who were involved in a vicious attack at a Pembina Highway motel last weekend has been charged under Winnipeg’s responsible pet ownership bylaw.

Owners who violate the bylaw by keeping or harbouring prohibited breeds are subject to a $1,000 fine. However, the city didn’t specify which charges were handed out to the owner.

On Saturday, the dogs — three of which were American pit bull terriers, a breed banned by the city since 1990 — turned on their owner at the Capri Motel, drawing blood and leading to two people being taken to hospital with what police called “life-altering” injuries.

According to the city’s ownership bylaws, breeds including the American and Staffordshire pit bull terriers are not technically allowed to be owned within the perimeter.

After the incident, which left blood splattered on motel doors and on the pavement of the parking lot, police shot two of the dogs, and two others — an adult and a puppy — were hit by a passing vehicle.

The city’s animal services department says that the adult dog hit was euthanized, while the puppy has been sent to a rescue organization. Given that the breed is banned in the city, it’s usually the practice to find an owner who lives elsewhere.

The city says the dogs didn’t have rabies, and that none were neutered or spayed, but says that despite their show of aggression, they were not trained for fighting.

Winnipeg’s breed ban has been criticized in the past for placing the burden on the animals for existing, and not on their owners for irresponsible ownership.

The ban was enacted after a series of dog-related incidents about 30 years ago. The American Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty, as well as the Winnipeg Humane Society, hews toward breed-neutral laws calling on owners to be held responsible, sometimes called “dangerous dog” laws.

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca