Animal control officials in Vancouver say they’ve yet to track down the owner of a large dog that fatally mauled a family pet in Stanley Park on Monday.
The attack happened near the busy Second Beach concession, where AJ Tay told Global News a large, unleashed dog snapped up his maltipoo Sky while he was on a family outing with his wife and children.
Bystanders rushed to try and separate the dogs, but in the aftermath, the large dog and its owner fled the scene – an escape captured on video by several people.
Sky was critically injured and died on the way to a vet.
“At the end of the day … whether Sky had lived or passed on, I think that’s a coward’s move to just run off,” Tay said of the owner of the large dog.
Vancouver’s Animal Services department told Global News Friday that the owner has not come forward or been identified as of yet.
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Dog owners at Second Beach on Friday said the incident was shocking.
“I would sort of put this at the same bar as if someone is involved in a traffic accident and you leave the scene, I think that’s very irresponsible,” said Sumit Mathur.
“What is irresponsible is that the dog was not on a leash,” added Angie Le. “Especially if you know your dog is dangerous. And then also being able to handle the dog. The best change you can do is just to implement a really big fine and a lot more responsibility in terms of dog training.”
Victoria Shroff, K.C., who specializes in animal law, said if the attacking dog’s owner is located they could face a variety of serious consequences.
“They could be facing fines, they could be facing an aggressive dog designation, potential destruction for their dog through an application in the courts,” Shroff said.
Failure to abide by the city’s leash bylaw could result in fines of between $250 and $10,000.
Shroff said the owner could also be liable for civil damages from the Tay family due to pain and suffering and the loss of their dog, which is considered property under the law.
“We have an obligation as dog owners to keep everyone safe,” she said. “Especially if your dog is potentially a risk, it’s incumbent on you to take more care and to follow basic rules of society.”
Tay, meanwhile, said his children are still processing the traumatic scene they witnessed on Monday, and the loss of their beloved pet.
“That’s been a hard thing in this household – the fact that all of us have witnessed that,” he said.
“(The kids) are strong. We’ve built them up to be very strong kids, so they’re holding it really well, but the moments where they have flashbacks of the scenes that they saw, I wish I could take that all away from them.”