Weapons should be last resort in cases of dog attacks: SPCA

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The SPCA says there are a number of non-violent methods dog owners can use if they find their pet involved in an attack with another animal. This comes after the stabbing death of a pit bull at Kits Beach yesterday.

Marcie Moriarty with the BC SPCA says weapons should be an absolute last resort. “Personal safety is the most important. If you can’t use a voice to call off the dog, a foot may be your next option. Worse case scenario, of course, is using some sort of weapon, but a foot can work well in certain circumstances.”

“You don’t want to end up in a situation where one of the dogs dies. But reasonable force can be applied,” she adds.

Vancouver Police have not recommended any charges, but the SPCA is still investigating.

“Our file is still open,” says Moriarty. “There is some discussion on which dog was on-leash. We are speaking to any witnesses in the incident.”

“The report that, supposedly, we have is that the pit bull was on-leash and the other dog was not on-leash,” notes Moriarty.

Police say a 72-year-old man stabbed the dog to death after it bit down on his pug’s neck.

A woman who claims to be the owner of the pit bull has posted an open letter to Facebook, saying the victim in this tragedy is six-year-old “Pandora” who was on a leash at the time. She claims the man who killed her dog said it deserved to die.

The open letter posted to Facebook:

To everyone with an opinion who wasn’t there today to know what really happened,

The Pit Bull’s name was Pandora. She was six years old.

Ask me if I would let my very small child around this dog while I’m in another room? My answer is yes – absolutely. I did. Many times. And given the chance again, I would let that beautiful, intelligent, beloved dog care for my daughter in a heart beat. Sadly, I will never have that opportunity. My daughter has lost her best friend. That pit bull that was murdered today? She helped me raise, and care for my almost 4-year old daughter.

Was the pit bull off leash? No. She was not.

This was a clearly marked area: dogs should be kept on leash, as posted by the city bylaws. Funny thing is, it was this negligent old man who irresponsibly let his own dog run around freely: he did not have control of his own dog.

Today a man killed a dog. He screamed these words “You hurt my dog. You deserve to die” And then he took out a knife and repeatedly stabbed Pandora until she died. And as Pandora lay their lifeless, this old man fled the scene with his dog in an SUV.

Our family is in shock. In pain. We have lost our loved one. The real victim here was Pandora. My sister, a woman who has worked for and volunteered with the SPCA, who has fostered countless animals while they await adoption, who was been a dog walker, a dog groomer, has held jobs with pet stores and doggy daycares, who has just recently enrolled in a program to become a certified dog trainer, has lost her best friend. My sister’s passion is animals. She is sympathetic to the concern for the pug’s welfare that this old man may have felt in the moment. But his panic does not excuse his actions. The fact that he is “72 years old” or that Pandora is a certain breed does not justify what he did. He is a human being, but his actions were sickly inhumane.

Let me remind you that this is not your story to judge, nor is it your responsibility to decide who is right or wrong. Just as each human being is different, so are the pets we care for. The difference is, we as humans have the capacity to make choices.

Ignorance and misinformation will get the best of you. If you want the real story, I challenge you to stop hiding behind the safety of your screen and come see the family that Pandora has left behind. In fact, let this invitation be forwarded to the man that murdered Pandora. Come have coffee with my daughter and I tomorrow morning. Let me share with you my side of the story: what really happened this afternoon, as opposed to what the media is contorting this into, and then try to tell me who the victim is here.

Sincerely,
Amy