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Saskatchewan RCMP has responded to community criticisms about the police response to a dog attack in the town which left a young woman with critical injuries on Monday.
In a news release on Nov. 3, RCMP said two separate incidents involving dog attacks in Pelican Narrows had been reported to them in recent days and they did not involve the same owners, nor the same dogs.
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Pelican Narrows RCMP Detachment Commander S/Sgt. Scott Kirychuk said in a statement that police welcomed the opportunity to meet with Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (PBCN) to determine next possible steps to ensure community safety, but added that policing is not the sole solution to aggressive animals.
“Generally speaking, police become involved in aggressive animal situations when criminality is suspected,” Kirychuk said in the statement.
“In the meantime, we recommend that Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation dog owners do not let their dogs run free. A dog may not be aggressive when alone, but its behaviour may change when it’s in a pack. To avoid this, ensure your dogs are tied up or kept inside a fenced area.”
PBCN health staff told an emergency meeting on Monday the attack on the woman was the fifth dangerous dog attack in recent days and said the earlier incidents involved dogs believed to belong to the same owner.
The First Nation was seeking clarification from RCMP about what complaints were received, what action was taken, and whether additional measures could have been taken to prevent further attacks.
The condition or age of the injured woman was still not available Tuesday. Police said the woman was getting medical treatment but no further updates would be provided.
Police said in the first dog incident officers were called to the medical clinic in Pelican Narrows around 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 31 to check on an adult who had been injured by a dog attack. RCMP said officers then found the dog involved and its owners put the dog down after talking with police.
RCMP said officers were then called to MacKay Street around 11 a.m. on Nov. 2 after the attack on the woman was reported to them.
Police said they drove the woman to the health centre with “life-threatening” injuries before returning to the scene. They found three dogs nearby that they then found were involved in the attack and the dogs were put down “in the interest of public safety.”
Meanwhile, a northwest Saskatchewan dog rescue founder is calling on communities to establish and enforce dog control policies following Monday’s attack.
Amanda Harder, with Northern Transitional Dog Rescue, said communities need plans for managing stray and aggressive dogs.
PBCN leadership had emphasized that Monday’s mauling should not be treated simply as part of the broader stray-dog problem in Pelican Narrows.
The First Nation has been working to reduce the number of stray and unwanted dogs in the community and PCBN said a volunteer animal-rescue group removed about 45 dogs from the communityd during two operations earlier this year and is scheduled to return on Nov. 4.
“It is not the RCMP’s job to manage the stray dog population. It is up to every northern community and every community that deals with stray dogs to have a plan in place, to have bylaws in place, to enforce the bylaws and to have a policy on aggressive dogs and females in heat,” Harder said.
“We’re not suggesting every community should be doing dog culls but if there is no support from outside rescues, SPCA, spay and neuter clinics or someone who is effectively handling the dog, then sometimes the best thing to do is euthanize dogs that are not safe to our community members,” Harder said.
— with files from paNOW’s Nigel Maxwell
