Deep physical and emotional wounds have a northeast Edmonton resident calling for a citywide ban on pit bulls, following a vicious weekend attack.
Brent Brownlee was walking his two miniature dachshunds near 69 Street and 158A Avenue on Saturday afternoon, when he was attacked by a pit bull without warning.
The pit bull killed one of Brownlee’s dogs and mauled him. He escaped the attack with a broken bone in his hand and a dozen bites on his arms and head which may require surgery.
“That dog has to go down,” said Brent’s wife, Carol. “We feel that the owner of this dog is not responsible enough to have a dog like that living in a neighbourhood full of children.”
Animal Control spokesman Keith Scott said any cross-bred pit bull automatically receives a restricted city licence, requiring it be muzzled and on a leash at all times in public, and on a chain or in a cage when in a yard.
However, Scott said, pit bulls shouldn’t be banned outright.
“It’s not necessarily the breed that’s the issue,” Scott said.
“The issue is responsible dog ownership.”
He added the owner of the pit bull believed responsible for the attack has secured the dog, and won’t be putting it down.
