Calgary police use stun gun on pit bull

CALGARY – Police had to use a Taser three times to subdue a pit bull Monday night after the dog escaped a northeast home, attacked another dog and then bit its owner.

The incident happened at about 6:30 p.m. when the pit bull bolted from its residence through an open door and attacked a husky-lab cross being walked near McDougall Road and 7th Street, police said.

The owner, who is pregnant, ran after the pit bull and tried to wrestle it away from mauling the other dog, with no luck, according to duty inspector Paul Stacey.

A police unit happened to be nearby when the attack happened, he said.

“The officer sees this fight going on and tries to get the pit bull away but it’s not responding,” said Stacey. “It was very focussed, in a frenzy.”

The officer then used a Taser to try to subdue the pit bull but only one prong stuck in the animal when two are needed to be effective. The officer tried again with the exact same result.

“So then he did what is called a drive stun, where you take the Taser right up against what you are trying to subdue and give it a good zap,” said Stacey. “That broke the dog’s focus and they were able to put a muzzle on the dog.”

Bylaw and Animal Services is investigating.

Both the pitbull’s owner and the husky-lab cross are expected to be OK.

Calgary Herald