Mauling victim `devastated' by boy's death
An Edmonton woman is aghast that the home where she was attacked by two dogs earlier this year was the site of Monday evening's mauling death of 11-year-old Kache Grist, an Osoyoos, B.C., boy.
As a result of a Thursday autopsy, it was determined Grist died from a dog bite sustained at a home in the 8200 block of 11 Avenue SW in Summerside where his father was renting a room.
Raj Bhogal, a lawyer with Preszler Law in Edmonton, said a woman who is a client of his sustained serious injuries from two dogs at the same address.
“There is some information that leads me to believe that we do currently represent a victim who may have been attacked by those very same dogs a couple of months ago,” Bhogal said.
“We were simply devastated. I think that's that's the only way I can put it. Really, it was difficult for both myself and my client.”
In a media interview with CTV, Grist's grief-stricken grandmother, Nancy Pearson, said the boy had just returned from the store with snacks and let the two Cane Corso dogs in when the attack occurred. His father was working in the garage at the time.
A GoFundMe account has been started to help with funeral expenses.
Pearson posted the boy's photo on her Facebook account.
“Yesterday was the worst day of my life. The young 11-year-old boy that is being talked about all over the news that was killed by two dogs is my grandchild,” Pearson said.
“I miss you so much Kache Grist, I am so sorry this has happened. You made the world a better place to be in. I don't know how to say goodbye to you. You were so strong, you helped me so much. You made me laugh, you were so funny. You were so creative and I loved every moment we spent together. RIP my little boo-boo,” Pearson posted.
“The vast majority of dog bites and dog attacks in Canada happen with children under the age of 10,” Bhogal said, advising individuals receiving dog bites of any size to always seek medical attention, in part to ensure the dog is up to date on its vaccinations.
“In those situations, even what may appear to be a relatively minor bite can actually have very significant impacts on your health,” he said.
Although dog-bite injuries made up between 0.4 per cent and 1.5 per cent of emergency visits, about 3.6 per cent of emergency visits by male children ages five to nine are dog-bite induced, Richard H. Polsky stated on his blog at dogexpert.com.
Large and muscular mastiff-type dogs with huge jaws, the Cane Corso breed has earned a reputation for aggression, said Polsky, a Los Angeles attorney, animal behaviourist and expert witness who has testified in Canadian trials involving dog attacks.
“Cane Corsos have been disproportionately represented in a number of fatal dog attacks on people,” Polsky noted in a post.
Dog attacks turn fatal when there's rapid blood loss from the jugular vein or carotid artery, and death can happen in a matter of minutes, Polsky said.
“Cane Corsos are reported to have a very high pain tolerance. Ownership of Cane Corsos is restricted in the Netherlands and the Dutch Kennel Club only grants pedigreed certificates to individuals who have passed a standardized temperament test.
Moreover, some municipalities and many insurance carriers in the United States have ` blacklisted' the breed,” he said.
LOOKING BACK AT OTHER CASES
In March 2024, a three-monthold New Jersey baby died after an attack by the family's pit bull that severely injured the baby's mother. The parents had tried to intervene in the attack.
In August 2023, a woman was walking on the sidewalk at 118 Avenue and 33 Street in Edmonton when a man approached with a dog on a long leash.
“It is alleged the male told the woman, `Don't worry, he don't bite,' just prior to the dog viciously attacking her,” said the Edmonton Police Service. “The dog reportedly knocked the woman down on the sidewalk, then began biting her.”
The woman sustained serious bite wounds to one of her legs, hands and face before escaping into a restaurant. Paramedics treated her at the scene before taking her to hospital with serious, non-life-threatening injuries. She underwent surgery, Postmedia reported.
An EPS spokesperson confirmed Thursday that no arrests have been made in that incident.
In August 2022, a Cane Corso attacked and killed its 62-year-old owner in Los Angeles.
While the attack was ruled an accidental death, it was unprovoked. The dog was euthanized.
A Michigan couple pleaded no contest to a charge of owning a dangerous dog causing death after their two Cane Corsos escaped their Michigan property and attacked and killed a jogger in 2014.
In April 2012, in Alberta, a Husky escaped the kennel it had been placed in to keep it separate from a newborn infant. The dog found the baby upstairs and delivered a fatal bite to the baby's head.
In March 2010, three sled dogs got out of their chain restraint and mauled a four-year-old boy to death on Baffin Island, Nunavut. The dogs were killed at the scene by the coroner.
In February 2010, a 10-yearold boy was killed on Canoe Lake First Nation reserve in northern Saskatchewan.
In California, Marjorie Knoller was sentenced to 15 years to life for second-degree murder in 2008 after her Presa Canarios mauled a neighbour, Diane Whipple, to death in their San Francisco apartment building hall in 2001.