A West Vancouver woman is warning the public after an off-leash dog attacked her in Lighthouse Park, leaving some nasty bite wounds.
The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. on July 9 when Sharon Kane and a friend were returning to the parking lot.
“This dog just came and lunged at me and bit my leg,” she said. “It was bleeding profusely.”
Kane got herself to a West Vancouver walk-in clinic where the doctor treated it with iodine, and gave her a tetanus shot and antibiotics.
“There's a huge bruise as well and I’ve got four teeth marks. It's healing but it still looks ugly,” she said.
Kane reported the incident to the West Vancouver Police Department who put her over to District of West Vancouver bylaw officers. But Kane said she was in too much shock to even ask the dog’s owner for his name. She described the dog as a medium-sized mixed-breed with brown and white colouring.
“All the owner did was say, 'Oh, sorry, the dog’s never done that before.’” she said. “That was a big help,” she added sarcastically.
Dogs are not required to be leashed in Lighthouse Park, but Kane said the dog that attacked her absolutely should be leashed, at the very least.
“I hope [the owner] has learned something from this,” she said. “And for the wider public, I just want them to be aware that this happened in Lighthouse Park. And if that man is walking with his dog off the leash, it could happen to somebody else.”
Kane said she would appreciate if the owner came forward, if only to see how she is doing in the aftermath.
According to the District of West Vancouver, the number of dog bite incidents has been going up along with the volume of people who come to the district's busiest parks, 14 of which have off-leash areas.
In 2019, there were 34 reported incidents. That shot up to 58 in 2020. So far this year, there have been 29 reports of dog bites, or attacks.
“The district is encouraging all park users to respect others and share these spaces responsibly, and that includes dogs and their owners,” said district spokeswoman Donna Powers. "Every dog owner – and by owner we mean any person who has possession of a dog, even if it’s only temporary – is responsible for ensuring that the dog in their care does not injure a person or another pet, and that includes harassment or aggressively pursuing without provocation.”
Powers acknowledged it can be a challenge to have a bylaw officer attend before an aggressive dog has left the scene, but she said they patrol the busier parks and have been able to apprehend aggressive dogs in the past.
In those cases, the dogs are impounded and labelled “aggressive,” which requires a special licence, tattooed identification and a requirement for the dog to be muzzled at all times when it is in public.
“We ask that anyone who has been bitten or pursued, or if their pet has been bitten or pursued, to please call West Vancouver’s Bylaw Department at 604-925-7152. If you are calling after hours, please leave a message with the all the details, because these messages are picked up regularly by our officers in the field,” Powers said.
