The dog control officer in Salmon Arm is following a report of an alleged pit bull attack on a small dog at Canoe Beach.
The alleged incident led to the injury of a visitor’s small mixed-breed dog.
Jeanine Armillotta was on the first day of a visit to the Shuswap and taking her small and elderly dog Quila for a walk in the off-leash portion of Canoe Beach on Aug. 31.
Armillotta said the dog, which she beleived to be a pit bull, was tied to a log near a tent where people appeared to be camping on the beach.
She said the large dog charged Quila, dragging the log, and quickly bit down on the back of her neck. “I was trying to hit the dog off her,” Armillotta said.
“I was screaming because this dog was going to kill my dog.”
Armillotta said the pit bull’s owner came over after a few seconds and had to bite his dog on the back of its neck to get it to release the smaller animal.
She said Quila ran away and was found by Armillotta’s parents who had just arrived at the beach.
Armillotta and her mother returned to the tent where she said the occupants became hostile and hurled threats at them.
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Armillotta placed a call to police and they directed her to the local dog control officer.
She said there was not an immediate response from either dog control or the city bylaw office.
Bob Cline, who works for the BC Commissionaires providing dog control for Salmon Arm and the surrounding area, said he visited the area of the attack on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and Wednesday, Sept. 2, but the dog owners had moved on by then. He described the dog he was looking for as a brown and white pit bull
City of Salmon Arm bylaw officer Marcel Bedard said the remains of the campsite on the beach were cleaned up on the morning of Sept. 2.
Meanwhile, Quila was taken to the Shuswap Vet Clinic for treatment.
Armillotta said she assumed Quila’s injuries were massive because of the amount of blood she was losing, but in fact once the vet had cleaned the injured area one large puncture wound as well as bruising was found.
The dog is recovering and being treated with pain medication and antibiotics.
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Cline said he has the power to issue a $200 ticket once he has located the people and their dog and could also seek a court order to have the dog declared dangerous or have it euthanized.
He had not located the pit bull or its owners as of the morning of Sept. 3.
Armillotta said she feels as though the dog attack has all but ruined her annual trip to the Shuswap.
She expressed disappointment with the way the attack was handled and what she feels is a lack of transparency and consistency on behalf of the city and the dog control service.
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