Winnipeg woman's pet killed by pack of dogs

Catherine Flynn's dog Carter is pictured in an undated image. Carter was attacked by a group of three dogs in Point Douglas on June 8, dying two days later. (Submitted photo: Catherin Flynn)

A Winnipeg woman is calling for changes after a group of dogs attacked her dog, who eventually died from its injuries.

Catherine Flynn says on June 8, she was walking her dog Carter, a greyhound/redbone coonhound mix, through the Point Douglas neighbourhood. She was making her way down Grove Street when she saw three cane corso dogs walking past a fence and barking.

“I started to feel unsafe, because these were three really big dogs, and I've seen them before, but I started backing up,” Flynn said.

She says one of the dogs pushed over the portable construction fence in the yard and ran towards her and Carter and started attacking him.

“They were going for the kill,” Flynn said. “They went for all the soft spots. His face, his throat, his belly, his groin. And torn in lots of places.”

Flynn was able to get Carter and herself away from the three dogs, and she was able to get Carter to a veterinarian for emergency surgery. Sadly, Carter died two days after the surgery.

Flynn had Carter since 2013, rescuing him from Ohio. She described him as a character, who was affectionate and had a big personality.

“He was a pretty well-known dog, and people really had a lot of affection for him,” she said. “So I'm getting a lot of messages of sort of condolence and saying, ‘Yeah, I knew Carter, and I thought he was a great dog.’”

Flynn says she has reported the attack to the city's Animal Services Agency but is not sure if they’ve been deemed dangerous, had any previous incidents, or if their owner needs to take further precautions to secure their dogs.

Whatever ends up happening, she wants something done about the dogs to ensure there isn’t another attack.

“There's an awful lot going on in the community at the moment, like people are really angry,” Flynn said. “A lot of people want to be able to feel that they can walk their dog safely. And there's a subset of people that have these very aggressive guard dogs that aren't really adequately fenced in. And it's a safety issue for our community.

“What we want to see is if something happened to people who are keeping dangerous animals on their property, especially in the front yards, where there are public sidewalks, and we're walking our dogs, we should be able to walk safely on a public sidewalk.”

A spokesperson for the city says Animal Services is investigating the incident and is in contact with all involved parties. They said any details about previous enforcement history can't be shared due to privacy reasons.

The city’s Responsible Pet Ownership bylaw says dogs are designated as dangerous if they are “likely to cause significant harm or injury to individuals or animals” or are used primarily as guard dogs.

Owners of dogs designated as dangerous must ensure that the dogs are securely confined inside, or outdoors in a securely enclosed and locked pen, structure or yard that prevents them from escaping. The dog also needs to be muzzled and accompanied by a person who can control the dog if it leaves the property.

The bylaw also states dogs are considered exceptionally dangerous and should be euthanized if they’ve repeatedly bitten, clawed or attacked people or other animals or have engaged in an “exceptionally brutal” attack on an individual or an animal. The owner must be notified and given reasons, as well as an opportunity to be heard, the bylaw states.