An Edmonton family is grieving the loss of their dog after they say a neighbour’s pit bull viciously attacked their 14-year-old beagle.
Angela Ferrari-Gibbs and her husband Rocky were getting ready for bed on the night of March 21. As usual, Rocky harnessed and leashed their beagle Riley and went to take him to the path across from their house in the Allard neighbourhood before bed.
While the two were outside, Rocky noticed a pit bull that Ferrari-Gibbs said they had had “multiple” run-ins with in the past.
As the dog advanced, Ferrari-Gibbs says Rocky picked Riley up and turned back toward the house. The animal reportedly lunged and knocked Riley out of Rocky’s arms.
As Rocky screamed for help, Riley tried frantically to get away. Ferrari-Gibbs said a neighbour came over with a tool in their hand and banged it on the ground to try and get the pit bull away, but it kept trying to get at Riley .
At that point, Ferrari-Gibbs said she heard her husband’s screams for help.
“I ran out full tilt, barefoot onto the driveway into chaos.”
LISTEN BELOW: Angela Ferrari-Gibbs tells 630 CHED’s Ryan Jespersen about the night her dog was attacked
She said she saw Riley’s leash in one area of the yard, his harness and collar in another.
She ran over to her dog and picked him up and turned back toward the house when the pit bull lunged at them and knocked her to the ground.
“I didn’t let go of Riley,” she said. “I held him to me and I pushed my body on top of him. His little legs and his heart under mine and his head was exposed and that dog came inches from my face and just attacked Riley to the right of his ear.
“I can still see the wooden stick hitting the dog and Rocky screaming and kicking it. Then he released for a moment and I remember just seeing that mouth open wider and come back for a second lunge.”
Ferrari-Gibbs said once Riley stopped moving, the dog finally let go.
“I don’t even know what that dog did then.”
She then ran into the house with Rocky behind her. When they got inside, they wrapped Riley in a towel and she saw that his ear was “hanging off.
“I could see into his skull.”
The two ran through the house and out to the garage to get Riley to the vet. As they ran outside, Rocky opened the garage door. When they went to get into their truck, Rocky realized he didn’t have his keys. As he went back inside to get them, they said they could see the pit bull was approaching the open garage door.
“It was like a horror movie,” Ferrari-Gibbs said. “That dog was approaching our garage and you saw its eyes and its feet and its face as the door closed.”
As they drove to the vet, they followed the pit bull down the street back to its house.
Ferrari-Gibbs said there were vehicles in the driveway and lights on, but no one came to the door when they hocked their horn to try and get someone’s attention. At that point, the couple left and drove to the vet.
The vet told them Riley had a 20-centimetre wound over his ear and a 25-centimetre wound over his neck and jaw. He didn’t survive his injuries.
“Riley saved us that day because that dog wanted him dead,” Ferrari-Gibbs said.
Animal control can’t seize the pit bull
A coordinator for animal control with the City of Edmonton says they don’t have the legal right to seize the pit bull in question without cooperation from the owners when it’s an animal-on-animal attack. Dogs can only be quarantined for 10 days without owner cooperation if the animal attacked a person and broke the skin.
In relation to this case, Trena MacGillivray said they’re looking to change that.
“We are working with our law branch to see what legal authorities we have to obtain the rights to seize a dog.”
LISTEN BELOW: Trena MacGillivray with animal control tells Ryan Jespersen what the City of Edmonton can do about a dog complaint
Ferrari-Gibbs said the pit bull’s owner is denying her animal is the one that attacked Riley. MacGillivray couldn’t confirm that.
“We are under investigation right now and working our best and trying to get coorperation to get the animal in our possession.”
She did say that animal control officers are in the neighbourhood daily, patrolling to make sure the residents feels safe. Ferrari-Gibbs said, right now, they don’t.
“Our neighbourhood is in fear. It’s spring break and you will not find a child on the pathway. We have two new schools and people are driving to the park with their vehicles for safety.”
“Our presence is there,” MacGillivray said. “We’re in that community daily now, making sure that isn’t an issue until we have either the dog in our possession or an outcome from this.”
MacGillivray confirmed that this isn’t the first complaint they’ve received about the pit bull in question. After a run-in with Ferrari-Gibbs and Riley in November – where she claims the pit bull jumped over their gate and ran at their front door as she frantically tried to close it – animal control did conduct an investigation into the complaint.
“I would like for them to be a bit more aware of the damage their animal could cause and perhaps avoid our block or take some action so we can both exist in peace as neighbours,” a letter Ferrari-Gibbs wrote to the city in November read. “They almost walk past our home every day, so I know we won’t always be this lucky.”
LISTEN BELOW: 630 CHED listeners weigh in after hearing Riley’s story
MacGillivray said the majority of owners comply when their animals are involved in an animal-on-animal attack and will surrender the animal to officials.
At the time of last week’s attack, Ferrari-Gibbs said the pit bull’s owners were out of town and the dog was being watched by someone else.
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