Off-leash dog attacks spark safety concerns in Yellowknife

A Yellowknife man says he's been fined and his dog is going to get training after multiple residents said his dog had attacked their dogs — and had bitten a person, too. 

Catherine Pigott, a retired CBC North producer, encountered the dog two weeks ago. She said she was walking past the CBC office toward Forrest Drive when she saw an off-leash dog running across the road from the Circle K convenience store toward her and her dog, barking "hysterically." 

Pigott said it bit her dog, Ulu, in the neck. 

"I was terrified. I couldn't believe it was happening. I started screaming, and I didn't know what to do," Pigott said. She said the person walking the dog intervened and tried to pull it off, but then it latched onto her dog's cheek instead.

Pigott said Ulu ended up with several bite marks. She said she ended up with a $300 vet bill and a dog who was traumatized for a few days. 

The day after the incident, she called municipal bylaw enforcement and reported what had happened. 

'It's irresponsible'

The dog's caretaker, Leroy Mantla, told CBC News in messages over Facebook he has been fined and that his dog will undergo training.

Kristy Lacosse, manager of the NWT SPCA animal shelter, identified the dog as a pitbull mix. She said not all pitbull mixes are dangerous, but they do need to be managed carefully. 

"I think it's 100% the owner's fault. It's irresponsible," said Lacosse. "If you know you have a dog with a high prey drive or that is overprotective and could hurt another animal or a person, it's your responsibility to keep that dog on a leash and under control." 

The City of Yellowknife told CBC News in an email that it takes complaints about dangerous behaviour in dogs "very seriously." However, it declined to comment on this particular case, since the tickets come with a mandatory appearance in territorial court.

Other run-ins

CBC News spoke to several other residents who reported run-ins with the dog to bylaw.

Trishawna Neyelle said she woke up last month to loud screaming outside her home. She saw an off-leash dog chasing a woman with her small dog and child.

She said a man was with the dog, and that it attacked the small dog.

"It was aggressively holding on to the dog, like it just wouldn't let go — biting it. It even ended up biting the other owner's arm when she was trying to separate them," Neyelle said.

Sylvia Lefave, also a Yellowknife resident, was walking her two dogs along Frame Lake Trail when she encountered the same dog. It was off leash and wearing a muzzle. 

"He charged at my dogs and swiped like a bear. But luckily, my baby has too much fur, so he didn't scratch her, but he got a paw full of fur," Lefave said.

Lacosse says, for the most part, Yellowknife has responsible dog owners.

Pigott, meanwhile, doesn't understand how these attacks have been able to happen repeatedly – especially since it's simple to use a leash. She said the person looking after the dog must also be aware that it's dangerous to other dogs. 

"What would happen if a small child was down on their hands and knees playing, or if the lighting was poor and the dog's prey instinct was activated?" she asked.