Anne Babin held her dog Léa, who was killed by another dog. Source: Radio Canada
The fatal attack of a Bichon Frize on a Great Dane in Carleton-sur-Mer a week ago raises the question of responsibility in this case. The owner of the bichon and the breeder of the Great Dane blamed it on the way the big dog was raised since his adoption, which was not good enough. The law also stipulates that in such situations, the owners are responsible for the damage caused by their animals.
Anne Babin Lives in Carleton-sur-Mer. For 12 years, she was Léa’s mistress, but on July 16, everything changed. At a private campsite in the city, his dog, which is about 3.5 kilos, was attacked by a Great Dane, a type of very strong dog that weighs an average of about 70 kilos.
The attack killed the little dog.
Anne Babin headed to her trailer, her bichon frize in her arms, after the animal left to explore the land of its neighbors. “At that moment the animal stood up to jump on me and snatched my dog from my arms. He took her in his mouth, crushed her chest, pierced her heart and threw her to the ground. The woman was unable to stop her animal, which was very strong and was only held by the collar”, said the owner of Léa with emotion.
According to Ms. Babin, it was only after killing his dog that the Great Dane released it. “My dog was bleeding on my arms and we couldn’t do anything,” she said.
The owner of the Great Dane, named Tokyo, attended the scene, helpless and unable to control his animal. He was crying, according to Ms. Babin.
This woman should have contacted Ms. Join social networks to apologize. The owner of the Great Dane told him that he would go the next day to take his animal to the breeder in Gaspé where he adopted it. He would have added that he knows he made a mistake and he fully accepts his responsibility.
Michel Bourget is the owner of La Vallée des Géants, a Great Dane farm in the Gaspé. Tokyo was born and raised in her home before being adopted by her family in Carleton-sur-Mer last summer.
For Mr. Bourget, the explanation for this attack is clear. “He was not raised with enough strength. They are not a bad breed, the Great Dane, but they need to be well behaved and strong,” he said.
He believed that this was not the case with this family. “He’s more like a toy than a dog. They love him, so they have no authority and let him do whatever he wants. He is the one boss, he is the boss there. That, too, is missed,” he said.
“The problem is the owner, not the dog,” according to Michel Bourget, owner of La Vallée des Géants.
Since Tokyo returned to the breeder, he said that the behavior of the dog is exemplary. “He is very good and with us he is very kind, even gentle like a lamb. I took him everywhere and he showed no malice. I don’t understand what happened. I don’t understand his reaction,” he said.
Mr. confirmed. Bourget noted that Great Danes are not a dog breed known to be dangerous or particularly aggressive towards other animals. “I’ve never seen that. I’ve never heard of it and I’ve had Great Danes all my life,” he said.
The unpredictable attack also shows the extent to which vigilance is always necessary.
“You never know what’s going to happen to a big dog, because he’s a big dog. (The owner) should have a leash on his dog. That’s the mistake she made,” said by Michel Bourget, breeding owner of La Vallée des Géants.
A pattern for the Great Dane
Although Tokyo is now “gentle as a sheep”, according to the breeder, this is not the first time he has viciously attacked another dog.
After the attack, which she discussed on social media, Anne Babin received testimonies from two owners whose dogs were attacked by the same Great Dane. In their case, the attacks were not fatal. Noticing that the dog had sinned again, the three decided to file a complaint with the City of Carleton-sur-Mer.
Therefore the animal’s level of danger should probably be assessed by a veterinarian. This is exactly the intention of his breeder, who expects to be contacted again by the Town of Carleton on this subject.
However, Mr. Bourget intends to keep the dog at home, regardless of the outcome of the veterinary examination. The breeder feels that he has some responsibility and wants to prevent such a thing from happening again in the future.
Michel Bourget is convinced that another attack will not happen if Tokyo stays with him. “I raised them well. I’m not bad, but I’m strong, and I’m the boss,” he said.
The role of the city
“If he is declared dangerous, I will keep him accordingly. He stays in an enclosure, and when I go out with him, he has a muzzle and I don’t let him out with small dogs, he always changes,” said Mr. Bourget.
On the website of the City of Carleton-sur-Mer, it is also mentioned that dogs weighing more than 20 kilos must wear a harness or halter in public places and that the dog must “at all times be under the control of a person who can master it”.
In the case of Tokyo, these guidelines were not respected.
Anne Babin is well aware that municipalities cannot monitor every animal. However, he wondered if they could do more than just publish legal reminders in the newspaper. The woman wants to punish the “irresponsible owners”.
“If you can’t control your animals, you can’t get them!” “, according to Anne Babin, owner of the dog Léa, attacked to death.
Anne Babin points out that it is not always easy to report dog attacks in a small town like Carleton-sur-Mer, where everyone knows each other. However, he invited people to do so to prevent further attacks from occurring. She believes her dog Léa would still be alive if that were the case.
“Should we wait for a dog to attack a child or for someone to act? he asked himself.
Different dog, same problem
last fall, Raphaële Berube was at the top of Mont Castor, in Matane, with his two dogs in a racing harness, when his miniature pinscher, Gustave, was attacked. A dog that he claimed was a pit bull, with no owner or leash, appeared out of nowhere, grabbed his little dog by the neck and began to shake him.
“My first adrenaline reflex was to try to put my hands in the pit bull’s mouth to try to separate him from Gus, but I got bitten,” the young woman said.
Raphaële Bérubé recounted that at this time, two old men he had talked to before the attack tried to help him by hitting the animal with a stick. “I, I kicked him in the ribs, I never pushed him in my life, but he wouldn’t let go,” he recalled.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the pit bull released his dog after hearing someone whistle.
“His masters are about 500m away, on the other side of the mountain. I screamed. I screamed murder. I heard 20 km away and they didn’t come. And suddenly, I heard hissing and the dog released Gustave”, according to Raphaële Bérubé, owner of the dog Gustave.
Very shaken, Ms. Bérubé is the urgency of the situation. “My dog used to be peeled like a rabbit, everything is cut and his skin is all torn. I took Gus in my arms and we ran up the mountain,” he recalled.
At the on-call vet in Rimouski, the operation to save Gustave lasted two and a half hours. His mistress said he came out with about 45 stitches and that the vet, a specialist in cat aggression, “couldn’t believe his injuries”.
Although the pit bull’s owner left her contact information after the attack, she never wanted to pay the $2,500 vet bill. Raphaële Bérubé therefore launched proceedings in the Small Claims Court.
The law is clear
However, the Éducaloi site clearly reminds us that the owner is responsible for the damage caused by his animal.
The owner of a dog remains responsible for damage caused by his dog even if he had no control over it at the time the damage was done.
Today, Raphaële Bérubé maintains that his dog is fine, except for his big scar. “I think I was the most traumatized by the story,” she said.
But the case did not end there. Raphaële Bérubé discovered that his friends were neighbors of the owners of the pit bull that attacked Gustave. His friends also admitted that their dog had fallen victim to the pit bull, which they said, should never have been tied.
Ms. criticized. Bérubé the inaction of the City of Matane in this file.
“I told them that there was an attack by a pit bull dog, which first is prohibited in the territory according to the municipal regulations, and secondly, it was a violent attack with a police file and they don’t have done”, according to Raphaële Bérubé , owner of the dog Gustave
The young woman claimed that people contacted by the City did not take her seriously.
The City should have responded “that it does not deal with cases like that” by referring to the evaluation of the pit bull, even after Raphaële Bérubé recommended them to the specialized veterinarian who operated on Gustave.
“If cities have regulations, they will apply them,” said Raphaële Bérubé. Imagine if I was with a child. And if I’m alone without my dogs, does he jump me? Since my dogs are zero aggressive, they are very well behaved and we only ran eight kilometers. They were burned, but he attacked us. »
Anne Babin and Raphaële Bérubé both criticized the lack of effort and the inaction of the municipalities involved in their files. Both women hope that there are commitments to prevent the dramas they experienced with their dogs from happening again.