Dog attack sends ‘sweetheart’ of a woman to hospital

A 70-year-old woman was mauled by a dog after she stepped out of her Cannon Street East home to mow her lawn.

The victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Hamilton police spokesperson Catherine Martin said about the 2 p.m. attack at Cannon and Clyde streets, just a couple blocks west of Wentworth Street North.

The woman, who lives with her husband, used to be a school crossing guard in the area, says neighbour Kathy Hosszu.

“She’s just tiny,” Hosszu said. “She’s a sweetheart. She always brings me food.”

The senior citizen was mowing the lawn when the dog got away from the owner, said city spokesperson Ann Lamanes.

“We don’t know how many times she was bitten,” Lamanes said. The owner was able to restrain the dog after which point the ambulance was called.

The dog, which appeared to be a bulldog cross, was signed over to Animal Services by the owner, who had only had the dog for about five days, she noted.

The dog is in quarantine, where it will stay for 10 days until staff decide what should be done, Lamanes said, noting euthanizing it is an option.

Hosszu — who has a long-haired Chihuahua named Chico who only has his two hind legs — says the aggressive dog could have mauled one of the many children who live in the area.

“I’d be really (upset) if he got that dog back,” she said about the owner. “It could have been anybody.”

Hosszu didn’t see the attack but heard “a lot of screaming.”

It’s not clear if the dog lived at the residence or whether a friend with a pet was visiting.

The home, on the south side of Cannon, backs onto an alley, which can be accessed through a back gate. “Beware of dog” signs warn trespassers. Nobody answered the door when a reporter knocked Tuesday afternoon.