UPDATE: On April 15, 2024, the City of Edmonton provided an update on the fatal attack. It said that prior to the deadly incident on April 1, “the city had no lawful basis to remove the dogs from the home.” The city added that “all prior complaints about the dogs involved in this incident were investigated thoroughly and appropriate action was taken in accordance with the applicable legislation.” The city also said a review found that its staff “acted appropriately in accordance with our standard practices and in compliance with the relevant legal constraints given the nature of past complaints and reports.”
A woman was hospitalized after being attacked in February by two large Cane Corso dogs at the same home where an 11-year-old boy was killed last week, the woman’s lawyer told Global News.
“In this incident, our client attended the same home in Edmonton and was visiting a friend and when she was in the yard of that home, she was attacked by two large Cane Corsos,” lawyer Raj Bhogal said.
“I’m not able to confirm whether they were the same dogs. The details I can confirm is that it was the same address, and they were in fact two large Cane Corsos. That fits the descriptions I’ve seen,” Bhogal said.
“She sustained very serious injuries. She has at least two fractured ribs, a punctured lung, bite and scratch marks around her entire body and between 15 to 20 stitches. She was hospitalized as a result.”
On Monday, April 1, 11-year-old Kache Grist was killed in a dog attack at a home in south Edmonton, near 82nd Street and 11th Avenue Southwest, in the Summerside area.
The Edmonton Police Service is continuing its investigation. No charges have been laid. In a news release Thursday, police said an autopsy had been completed and the cause of the boy’s death was confirmed to be a dog bite.
Bhogal said his client was devastated to hear a child had died.
“It definitely re-triggered some of her own trauma, which she’s still dealing with today,” he said. “But naturally, some thoughts that crossed her mind was: ‘Well, did I do everything that I could in the circumstances?’ And I believe that she did.”
The woman reported the incident to the authorities and animal care and control, Bhogal said.
There had been multiple complaints about the dogs, including two reports of attacks this year.
“In 2024, animal control peace officers responded to two attack complaints isolated to inside the private residence. One complaint is still under investigation while the other was concluded without charges,” the city said on April 2.
When speaking to reporters on Sunday, the boy’s father Wesley Grist was asked about the previous complaints. He said there was a $150 fine for excessive barking.
Grist also said one complaint was from a man who was living in the basement who was injured while playing with the dogs. Grist said the man needed a couple stitches in his leg. He also said the dogs killed that man’s cat.
Grist said he didn’t know the details of the other ongoing complaint involving a woman and that he “wasn’t there” when she was.
Bhogal said his firm Preszler Injury Lawyers is filing a claim for a February 2024 dog bite incident for the woman, who Global News is not identifying for safety reasons.
In civil matters, remediations are sought, he explained. In this case, the lawsuit will allege this incident caused injuries that his client continues to suffer and impacts her ability to enjoy her life.
These claims have not been tested or proven in court.
Bhogal said he and his client are also hoping this claim might motivate the city to change how it handles animal complaints.
“When a serious attack occurs with one or two or more dogs, and the city is aware that, now this has become a pattern, I think more should be done.”
On Sunday, the boy’s father explained that Kache was staying with him in Edmonton for 12 days over spring break. Grist said his son had spent time with the dogs — who belong to his roommate — many times before without any issues.
“I’ve lived with these dogs for a long time and there’s never been an issue like this. I would never put my son in a spot where he was at risk. I love my son,” Grist said. “There was nothing that gave us any warnings about this being an issue.
“There was never a reason for me not to feel safe with them in the house,” he added. “They weren’t mean dogs.”
He said finding his son unresponsive in the house Monday night was the hardest thing he’s ever been through.
Grist said all the public finger-pointing and blame is “taxing” and “unfair” and is making it impossible for him to properly grieve his son.
“People just need to stop and let us put him to rest … let us go heal, let us deal with this,” Grist said. “I know it’s not my fault, but I keep playing the what-ifs in my head … Those are killing me.”
He said he doesn’t blame his roommate.
“She’s grieving too,” he said. “She’s also dealing with all this regret and all this guilt.
“If I can sit here and be defending my roommate and forgiving her – not even forgiving her because I never blamed her in the first place – that if I can be empathetic to her and not place blame on her, then nobody else should.”
Grist said his roommate signed the animals over to the city and that they were euthanized on Thursday.