Mauling not necessarily breed’s fault: dog trainer

WINNIPEG – Dog trainer Ryan Kwasnica says the Alaskan malamute dog breed shouldn’t be blamed for a fatal mauling on the weekend.

Gracie Herntier-Clark, 7, died Sunday night after being attacked by a family friend’s pair of Alaskan malamutes. The dogs are in the custody of the rural municipality of Springfield’s animal services, RCMP said.

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“Typically the northern breeds — Alaskan malamutes, huskies, those types of dogs — they’re very independent,” Kwasnica said. “(They can be) difficult to train. They have an exuberant amount of energy, stamina, so they really need to be worked.”

Gracie was familiar with the dogs but the Winnipeg Humane Society advised even familiar dogs can attack.

“What I see often with children … (they) find an animal adorable, so they want to get right into their face,” said Aileen White. “They want to wrap their hands right around that dog’s neck or look in their adorable eyes nice and up close. That’s not adorable to a dog — they take that as a threat.”

According to the Canadian Veterinary Journal, an average of one to two deaths per year can be attributed to dog attacks in Canada. Just over 85 per cent of victims are under 12 years old.

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