A Calgary father is furious after hearing about a Lethbridge dog biting a woman weeks after he says the same animal bit his daughter.
Bart Chudleigh said his seven-year-old daughter was walking with his 13-year-old niece near École Agnes Davidson School when the Bulldog-Mastiff crossbreed chased them down last May.
“The dog jumped up, grabbed her in the chest area, right beside the armpit. (It) latched on and cut her for three stitches. She was able to struggle away from the dog, and from that point in time, the owner called it off,” he said.
The family drove to the emergency room to take care of her wounds, but some things cut deeper than skin.
Chudleigh said his daughter developed a fear of all dogs – even hiding behind him when she saw one. He says she’s since improved, after the family bought its own four-legged friend.
He said he drove from Calgary to give testimony to the Lethbridge Aggressive Dog Appeal Committee in June.
“I would’ve rather seen the dog euthanized so that absolutely ensured that it couldn’t do this damage to anybody else again. After talking to the senior bylaw officer … I was comfortable with the parameters put on the dog.”
Those parameters include the dog wearing a muzzle in public, being on a leash shorter than one metre when in public, being contained in a cage and receiving training.
WATCH: ‘I felt like I was going to be mauled to death’ – Lethbridge woman injured in alleged dog attack
A Lethbridge woman was bitten by the same canine over the weekend, leaving her with multiple stitches, bruising along her left side and potential nerve damage in her hand.
The city said it has a number of legal options available to find the dog – noting its owner is not cooperating with them.
The city also handed the owner $400 in municipal fines for the second attack.
He refused to appear on camera, but has told Global News his pet is no longer in the city.
“I understand the love of a dog. I’m a dog lover myself, but the love for a dog does not outweigh public safety and the love for family members and people that are at risk to some pretty serious damage because of this dog’s ability to inflict that on people,” Chudleigh added.
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