Dog attacks and severely injures 2 children in Montreal North

Two children were seriously injured during a dog attack in the family's apartment in Montreal North on Sunday morning.

Police say the siblings' family was looking after the dog, which belonged to an acquaintance, when it attacked a four-year-old girl in the apartment on St-Michel Boulevard.

The family took the girl to hospital. She suffered severe head injuries, and Montreal police said she needed at least 16 stitches.

Police said family members locked the dog in the apartment, where it later bit the girl's seven-year-old brother as he was trying to leave the dwelling. His arm was seriously injured.

Const. Jean-Pierre Brabant, spokesperson for Montreal police, said the boy needed emergency surgery.

Police said several people called 911, and at least one citizen intervened in the attack, hitting the animal in the head. An adult also suffered a minor injury.

"At the arrival of police officers, the dog was already under control by citizens," said Brabant.

The constable said the children's grandmother had taken the dog from somebody she knew on Saturday. He said the previous owner had wanted to get rid of the dog, and the grandmother's plan was to bring it to an animal shelter for adoption.

Police are now investigating to see if charges of negligence could be laid against the grandmother.

Montreal police have turned the dog over to the SPCA, Brabant said, and an evaluation will determine the dog's breed.

Dog could be euthanized

"It was an aggressive dog. But we don't [know] the type of dog."

The dog could be euthanized within 48 hours if it is deemed to be dangerous under Montreal's animal control bylaw.

Mayor Valérie Plante told reporters Monday that euthanasia​ is likely in this case, given what she has learned from Montreal police.

Plante said her thoughts are with the family and the children who were attacked.

"This is something terrible that we want to prevent," said Plante, citing her administration's newly proposed animal-control regulations which puts the onus on dog owners to protect the public from their animals.

Rather than targeting specific breeds, her proposed regulations ensure animal owners know they are responsible for their pets at all times.

Plante said citizens will be encouraged to report dangerous animals to the city by calling 311. A specialized team will be sent in to evaluate the animal. If it is determined to be a public risk, she said conditions will be applied.

"We want to do prevention so we don't get into situations like this," she said.

Soon after Plante was elected to office in 2017, she amended the city's controversial animal-control bylaw, putting an end to the previous administration's year-old ban on pit bulls and pit-bull-like dogs.

Introduced by former mayor Denis Coderre, that bylaw infuriated dog owners across the city, as it required pit bull owners to request a permit in order to keep their dogs.

Montreal's city council is expected to vote Tuesday on the Plante administration's proposed amendments to the bylaw.

With files from Lauren McCallum and The Canadian Press