Owner wants his pit bull euthanized

Request comes after grandmother seriously injured in attack at home

A pit bull that seriously injured a grandmother and a woman with special needs will likely be euthanized after a 10-day waiting period to determine if the dog has rabies. “The owner has asked that the dog be euthanized, but nothing has been signed yet,” said Diana Aubert, who owns Carrefour Canin, the animal control centre in the Lanaudière region where the pit bull is being held. The 73-year-old grandmother was attacked by her grandson’s dog after she tried to separate the yearold pit bull and a mixed-breed Australian shepherd that were fighting. A 31-year-old woman was also seriously injured in the attack, which occurred in a home for people with special needs in the town of Ste-Béatrix. Both women were rushed to a hospital after being bitten on the arm. At the time of the attack, there were five dogs in the house, said Serge Perrault, the mayor of Ste-Béatrix. The 19-year-old owner of the pit bull lives at the house with his grandmother. Less than a month ago, the woman’s granddaughter moved into the residence on a temporary basis with her three small dogs, the mayor said. A baby is also living in the house. Perrault said he isn’t certain what provoked the attack, but suggested the pit bull may have been protecting its territory. The town’s animal control bylaw says residents are allowed to have up to four dogs in their home. As the granddaughter was staying there on a short-term basis, the homeowner might not be fined, Perrault said. The pit bull and Australian shepherd were registered with the municipality of Ste-Béatrix. The other three dogs were registered in the town where their owner lived before moving into the house. The fate of the Australian shepherd will be determined after an investigation, Aubert said. After the attack, the injured woman managed to call 911 for help. Animal control specialists who arrived at the house determined the two dogs that had been fighting were not properly trained and didn’t obey orders, Perrault said. The grandmother should not have attempted to use her hands to separate the fighting dogs, Aubert said. “We can see the results.” After learning about the attacks, Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault said Quebec would review the province’s laws on dogs, saying they are vague. Last June, the former Liberal government said it was dropping its plans to ban pit bulls, saying there was no scientific consensus on banning specific breeds of dogs. This dog was registered as a pit bull. Montreal’s short-lived pit bull ban, instituted under previous mayor Denis Coderre in 2016, was scrapped in December by the Projet Montréal administration voted in last fall.

The owner has asked that the dog be euthanized, but nothing has been signed yet.