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
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.