Dangerous dog applications filed for 4 dogs in September attack

The owners of four dogs involved in a September attack in Edmonton will have to wait a while longer to learn the final verdict on what will happen to their pets.

The attack, which happened near 101st Street and 112th Avenue, sent a 54-year-old woman to hospital and her dog to the vet, both with serious injuries.

Keith Scott with Animal Control said the city has been working with Edmonton police and the dogs’ owners to determine the next steps in the dogs’ management.

Scott said a court summons has now been issued to the man who was caring for all four dogs at the time of the attack, noting he may face fines of $500 to $10,000 per dog when he appears in court next month.

Dangerous dog applications were also filed for each of the four dogs and delivered to the dogs’ three owners on Friday.

Scott said the applications set a series of conditions for the dogs’ release, but will still need to be approved by a judge before they are formalized.

“It’s really important from the city’s perspective that we’re keeping citizens safe,” Scott said. “And when we have serious dog attacks like this, we want to be able to ensure that we’re working with the pet owner to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Scott said the city opted to file the dangerous dog applications in order to give the owners a chance to comply with conditions, since this was a first-time incident for all four canines.

“The city really doesn’t want to put down dogs and we want to be able to work with the pet owners, so that’s the reason we went forward with the dangerous dog application,” he said.

“We just want people to be responsible pet owners, so you really need to be able to make sure your yard is secure, that your dogs are under control at all times, because it’s important that these types of actions don’t happen.”

The exact fines will be determined by a judge in November.