International student recovering from injuries after dog bite in northeast Calgary neighbourhood
For Priyanka Walhe it will take as much time to heal the emotional trauma as it will the physical injuries after the international student was visciously bitten by a hyper-aggressive dog in a city she just moved to six months ago.
“I cannot describe in words what kind of pain I go through and I’m going through the trauma right now," Walhe said, in an interview with CTV News. "Whenever I see a dog I start crying, whenever I talk about a dog I start crying.”
Around 10:30 p.m. on July 13, Walhe had just gotten off the bus after work and was walking home at Castleglen Road N.E. when she said she noticed a dog chasing a cat at a distance.
Moments later she said the dog attacked her. Walhe said the dog wouldn’t let go of her arm.
“I never seen any dog this aggressive," Walhe said. "He wasn’t ready to leave my hand. He was just chewing everything and dragging my hand - it's horrible.”
Walhe said she yelled for help and she says eventually someone from the dog owner's home did come out and grabbed the dog. She said it was another neighbour who helped her back to her own home and called 911.
“The worst thing," she said, "is no one came to see me from the dog owner's house which is horrible.”
Walhe suffered multiple large cuts to her arm exposing tissue, underwent surgery and has dozens of stitches.
Walhe said she has filed a report with the city and police.
An online fundraiser has been launched to support Walhe, who just moved to Calgary from India six months ago to go to school at SAIT.
The 27-year-old said this is a difficult experience for a newcomer to go through without family support and trying to navigate a new health care and police system.
“When something like this happens you think I guess you are better in your own country because you are surrounded with your family members and your own contacts, right?”
INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY
The City of Calgary said an investigation is ongoing.
Brad Johnson, inspector with Calgary Community Standards Animal Services said officials have not been able to track down the dog or its owner yet.
Johnson said they are still collecting information related to the incident and are not able to confirm the breed of the animal.
Multiple charges in an incident like this are possible.
Johnson said dog bites are typically a one-time incident and there is likely no concern to the general public. Calgarians are urged to not approach a dog if it’s alone and contact 311.
Dog owners are being urged to be vigilant and keep their pets on a leash unless in a designated off-leash area.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'