Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Inuvik (June 21/02) - A 10-year-old Inuvik girl was attacked by a pit bull terrier recently and her mother hopes to see changes made to the town's dog bylaw to prevent further attacks.

On June 5, Ariel McDonald was building a cabin with her cousin when she was attacked.

"We were getting some wood from behind the trailer," McDonald said.

"I never saw the dog and he came right after me."

The dog was just being put on its leash when he spotted the girl and charged. Ariel froze and the dog sniffed her and then attacked her.

The dog's owner called out to the animal. The pit bull released the girl's leg when its master called out.

"He bit me and then he took off running back to his owner."

The attack came as a complete surprise to the girl, who had visited the home before with her mother.

Taken to hospital

"I thought my mom's friend still lived there," she said.

Her mother, Debbie Gully, was at home when got a call from a woman who witnessed the attack. Gully drove over and rushed Ariel to the hospital.

"She was in terrible pain," the mother said.

"The whole bite was about four inches and then teeth marks all around. They gave her three stitches because they didn't want to close it right up."

From the hospital, she called the RCMP who in turn called the bylaw officer. After talking with the dog's owners, the officer went to the hospital and told Gully there was no law broken.

No charges laid

"They produced proof that the dog had its shots and it was on a chain and on their property so there was nothing he could do," Gully said.

"The dog was tied up on the owner's property and he was complying with all regulations," Veltman said. "The child ventured onto his property and got too close to the dog."

Veltman said there is no provision in the bylaw for destroying any animal unless it is running at large in the community.

"Any dog that is loose and we feel it's vicious, the bylaw says we can destroy it," he said.

Not an issue in past

In some southern jurisdictions, there have been amendments to municipal bylaws enforcing special restrictions on some breeds of dogs. Veltman said while it has not been an issue here in the past, it may be something council will consider.

"The problem with that is, where do you draw the line?" he asked. "To the pit bull owner, the pit bull is not a dangerous breed."

Gully thinks there should be some changes made to the town's dog bylaw to prevent further attacks from the so-called "fighting breeds" of dogs like Rottweilers, pit bulls and Doberman pinschers. The list includes a limit on chain length, a fenced dog run, muzzles while walking the dog, warning signs on property and some control on population.

Many are scared

"There are a lot of people in this town who are upset about these dogs and they are scared of them," she said. "They're taught to attack -- they're not pets."

The attack left Ariel terrified of all dogs, except the family pet.

"He's the only dog I trust," Ariel said, adding her own advice to dog owners. "They shouldn't make them so mean."