Woman wants changes after dog mauled in off-leash park
A Winnipeg woman is hoping changes will come to city dog parks following a tragic incident earlier this month.
Elene Perron was at Bonnycastle Park on May 8 with her dog Poppy. She said she lost track of her dog briefly, before she heard a squealing sound, and then found her dog in the jaws of a much larger dog.
Poppy was shaken vigorously, but was soon freed. Another woman drove the two to a veterinarian, who told them Poppy was gravely injured and likely wouldn’t survive surgery.
Perron made the difficult decision to have Poppy put down.
“Unfortunately, I don’t get to hold my dog anymore,” she said.
Perron wants to see changes to dog parks in the city to hopefully prevent a similar incident in the future.
“I would like to see the city put in place either a dog park that is strictly for dogs under 30 pounds, or to have times broken down so they can have safe spaces to play,” she said. “The fact is, all dogs can have moments of aggression, but small dogs are at a disadvantage due to their size.”
The city has an area specific for small dogs at Sir Wilfred Laurier Park, as well as a puppy pen at Maple Grove Park.
However, a member of a group for small dogs in Winnipeg said the facilities fall short of what the community needs.
“The biggest trouble is that when you’re talking about small dogs, you’re talking about a group that, at times, are unfortunately intimidated by larger pups,” said Jon Waldman with Weenie and Friends. “So there isn’t an opportunity for us to be comfortable in off-leash environments.”
Waldman said the group regularly rents out spaces for their small dogs to play in, but would like to see the city divide up more dog parks by size.
CTV News Winnipeg reached out to the city about the incident, who confirmed they are investigating the incident, but could not provide specifics.
According to the responsible pet ownership bylaw, dogs which harm others could be declared dangerous and would be required to go outside with a muzzle on, and be kept in secure locations.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976926.1721883767!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
AS IT HAPPENED Wildfire reaches Jasper Wednesday night, causes 'significant loss'
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park reached the townsite Wednesday night and caused 'significant loss.'
Alberta calls in army to assist with wildfire situation
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
2 Canadians being 'sent home immediately,' removed from Olympic team after drone incident
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Vacations, meals, booze: Contractor used $100K of charity's money for personal expenses, B.C. court finds
A B.C. man who was hired to help a non-profit build a food hub but instead spent the money on personal expenses – including travel, restaurants, booze and cannabis – has been ordered to pay more than $120,000 in damages.
Male, female killed, 2 others injured in 'gun battle' outside Toronto plaza: police
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.