Put bull attack
When officers arrived on scene about 5 p.m. in a rural area near Ellesmere Road and Highway 401, the pit bull, sometimes written as ‘pitbull,’ had a hold of the youngster by the throat and a number of adults were struggling to get it to release its grip.
Police could not get the dog off, either, and shot the pit bull dead. One officer received minor wounds.
The boy sustained non-life threatening but serious injuries, including bites and scraps and cuts; Toronto police Sgt. Darryl Talbot said the boys injuries included bites to his face. The child was released from hospital in the evening and returned home at about 8:30 p.m.
Upon his arrival, Toronto Sun reporter Terry Davidson was on scene at the rural house where the boy was seen carried inside by a woman. The woman declined to speak to media but a man on the property said the pit bull had belonged to a neighbor and children were playing with it when without warning the pit bull attacked.
“They were playing with the dog for about, I don’t know, ten or fifteen minutes with a ball and a stick, and all of a sudden the dog just turned on him and grabbed him by the pant leg and (dragged) him around the backyard,” the man said. “I grabbed a stick and smashed it over the dog’s head. The dog wouldn’t let go, so I called 911.”
2005 pit bull ban
Pit bulls have been banned in Ontario since 2005 but those born before the ban are exempt; the legislation also made it illegal for pit bulls to run off-leash in public. There is a gathering each year to protest the ban but the number of protestors, and dogs brought along by owners, has declined sharply.
The Toronto Star did a piece last year on the ban and found a “remarkable” drop in dog bites since the legislation passed.
In this case, it’s unclear how old the dog was or exactly where the attack occurred.
