Woman says she was injured by dogs in February at home where boy died
A woman who was injured by two dogs in an attack at the same Edmonton home where a child died of a canine bite last week hopes her case will help prevent similar future tragedies, says her lawyer.
Kache Grist, 11, of Osoyoos, B.C., died from a dog bite Easter Monday while he was visiting his dad at the Summerside area house. His father, Wayne Grist, later said his son was a kind, gentle boy who loved his roommate's two Cane Corso dogs which have since been euthanized.
The city has said animal control was called about two previous attacks at the home near 82 Street and 11 Avenue S.W. Grist said one of those attacks involved a person who was actively playing with the dogs. He did not know the details of the other attack.
Raj Bhogal, with Edmonton's Preszler Injury Lawyers, said his client, a woman in her 40s, sustained multiple wounds in February when she was attacked by two large dogs at the same home.
“She was there visiting a friend.
It was not the same person who owns the dogs, nor was it the father of the deceased child,” Bhogal said.
“It was during that visit she was attacked by both dogs, who she has now confirmed were both two large dogs that she believes to be Cane Corsos,” he said.
“The first dog knocked her down and began attacking her and then the second dog also joined in on the attack shortly thereafter.”
The woman was treated in hospital for rib fractures, a punctured lung, and lacerations requiring stitches, Bhogal said.
Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi has said the city would review a number of previous calls and complaints about the dogs and see if there were any gaps in response.
Bhogal said his client had no indication that the dogs had a history of danger to anyone.
“My client did report the attack to animal control,” he said.
For his client, Kache Grist's tragic death is a reminder of what happened to her in the recent past.
“She's devastated. She's thinking about Kache's family,” he said.
“I imagine there'll be some investigation as to what city officials know or ought to have known about the dogs' previous known propensities,” he said.
“We're not talking about a scratch on the hand here. We're talking about serious injuries that, if they are the two same dogs, just (occurred) a few months prior.”
Wayne Grist said his son visited him in the garage before going into the house and, not 10 minutes later, he walked into the home to find his child suffering a fatal bite from one of the dogs.
Police have not yet said whether the dogs' owner will be charged.