'It was just really fast': Dog bite leaves Claresholm, Alta. girl with 16 stitches in her face
An 11-year-old girl from Claresholm, Alta. is recovering after being attacked by a dog last Thursday.
The animal has already been put down but the victim and her mother say there’s an important lesson for all dog owners.
Isabella Chiasson was waiting for her piano lesson to start last Thursday and was greeted by her instructor’s daughter’s dog, Bentley, but this interaction was far from anything she had ever experienced.
“I sat down on the bench and Bentley greeted me so I pet him, then he jumped up sort of halfway on the bench and then he bite my face,” explained Chiasson.
“It was just really fast. I remember standing up and screaming and then everyone rushed to me and we rushed to the hospital.”
Isabella needed 16 stiches in her face and also suffered a bite wound on her wrist. The attack has left her shaken up, and with some advice for all dog owners.
“If your dog shows aggression toward anything, put it in behavioral classes or put it down if it bites someone,” said Chiasson.
Despite the horrific experience, Isabella says she's actually grateful it happened to her and not someone else.
“If it was a kindergartener or someone who’s not dog-savvy, then they wouldn’t have known what to do and they probably would have just froze,” Chiasson described.
“I certainly don’t blame anyone either, it’s just a bad thing that it happened because it could have been avoided.”
Isabella's mother, Kristin Butler, says it wasn’t the first time Bentley had been aggressive with children.
“I did have three other parents reach out to me with similar incidents,” she said.
“One kid had to kick the dog in the face because the dog was lunging, the other kid got growled and lunged at and then the third one is actually her best friend, and he got bit on the arm and there’s a mark on his arm still.
Bentley’s owner would not appear on camera but told CTV they had the dog euthanized on Friday. One dog owner in Claresholm says attacks like this highlight the importance of responsible dog ownership.
“Sometimes things need to be done to protect the public, especially if a little girl is hurt, that’s never a good thing to hear about,” said Claresholm resident Brittany Steed.
“I just wish that dog would have been in better hands maybe.”
Both Isabella and her mother say the response from their community has been outstanding. They've received flowers, gifts and food, and they want to extend a big ‘thank-you’ to everyone who has supported them.
“We are really grateful for everyone in the town that’s supported us,” said Butler.
“It was a tough decision to even talk about all this, but we wanted to advocate for dog owners because we don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
The Town of Claresholm has a bylaw in place for aggressive dogs. It states, “The owner of an alleged aggressive or dangerous dog, shall surrender the dog to the animal control officer immediately and the dog shall be held pending the outcome of the investigation and/or a provincial court hearing.”
In this case, Bentley’s owner had him euthanized before an investigation was conducted.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Former Air Canada employees among suspects identified in gold heist at Pearson Airport: police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
MPs summon ArriveCan contractor to the House to be admonished in rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
'Enormous sum of money': Actor Hugh Grant settles privacy lawsuit against tabloid
British actor Hugh Grant has settled a lawsuit against the publisher of Rupert Murdoch's tabloid newspaper, The Sun, over claims journalists used private investigators to tap his phone and burgle his house, he said on Wednesday.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archaeological site in southwest France.
O.J. Simpson was chilling with a beer on a couch before Easter, lawyer says. 2 weeks later he was dead
O.J. Simpson's last robust discussion with his longtime lawyer was just before Easter, at the country club home Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. About a week later, on April 5, a doctor said Simpson was 'transitioning.'
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
U.K. plan to phase out smoking for good passes first hurdle
The British government's plan for a landmark smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking cleared its first hurdle in Parliament on Tuesday despite vocal opposition from within Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party.
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.