Owner charged after dog attack leaves pregnant woman injured and her dog dead

A dog owner has been charged following an attack that left a pregnant woman injured and her dog dead.

In a news release, the city said the incident, involving two dogs running loose, occurred on Sept. 17.

As a result of an investigation, the owner is facing four charges, with a maximum penalty of $40,000:

• Animal causing death to another animal
• Animal causing human injury
• Animal running at large (two counts)

The final penalty will be determined by the courts.

The city said after reviewing evidence, it was determined only one of the dogs was responsible for the injuries to the victim’s dog.

An application to designate the dog as vicious is being considered. The city noted that the Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw provides mechanisms to allow offending dogs to stay with their owners under strict conditions.

Aman Lamoureaux, the woman who was attacked, takes issue with the city's stance and response.

"I was informed that the dogs will stay in the house because they haven't yet been considered vicious dogs. That's very upsetting. Furthermore, the officers neglected the fact that the dogs confined me to the corner and attacked me after almost killing Leo. This is unacceptable," Lamoureaux told CTV News on Wednesday evening.

"I strongly disagree with the statement that only one dog injured Leo. In fact, both of the dogs attacked Leo and severely injured him.

"I stopped one of the dogs from attacking Leo by hitting him with my stick. Then the dog attacked me and confined me in the inside corner. If this dog had been gentle, I could have saved Leo from the other dog. After almost killing Leo, the other dog also joined the dog already attacking me and put me at utmost danger. At this point, I had no hope to be rescued. I protected myself with my walking stick."

'IMMEDIATELY BECAME AGGRESSIVE'

Lamoureaux previously told CTV News she was on a routine walk with her dog in the northeast community of Rundle on Sept. 17 when the attack occurred.

"We hardly walked 100 metres away and one black dog came from an unfenced yard and sniffed my dog a bit and immediately became aggressive," she said in an interview on Sept. 29.

"Then, the black dog jumped on me and made me fall down on my knees and snatched my dog away from me. All this happened in the presence of the dog owners."

Lamoureux said her four-year-old Morkie (Yorkshire Terrier/Maltese mix) Leo was severely injured in the attack and had to be put down as a result.

Part of the incident was captured on camera by a neighbour, who helped Lamoureux to safety in his backyard.

In the video, a man and a woman can be seen in the unfenced yard, with Lamoureux trying to fend off the dogs with her walking stick.

She said she received two bites, one on her left-hand middle finger and one on her right knee. She was also scratched on her legs.

Wednesday, Lamoureux said the video only captured the end of the incident.

And she said the incident was the culmination of a long-ongoing situation.

"This situation has caused upset among the neighbourhood and all have stopped using the alley since they noticed these dogs a year ago. Now it's even more terrifying," she said.

Lamoureux also said she believes the owner has rehomed one of the dogs.

With files from Tyson Fedor