Dog bite victim still in hospital

A Yorkton woman, who was mauled by a dog nearly three weeks ago, is still in hospital recovering from serious wounds to her lower body.

On the morning of June 27, the woman was jogging on Darlington Street when a large, Labrador-German Shepherd crossbreed attacked her. She was transported to Yorkton Regional Health Centre then transferred to Regina where she underwent surgery before being returned to Yorkton.

The owner of the dog was charged with three counts under Yorkton's Animal Control Bylaw and paid fines totaling $500: dog at large ($100), biting a person ($200) and causing injury to a person ($200).

The dog was apprehended by bylaw control officers with help from the RCMP shortly after the incident. It was transported to the SPCA and later euthanized.

RCMP Cpl. Travis Adams said Yorkton police are continuing to investigate whether criminal charges will be laid.

Under the Criminal Code of Canada, a charge of criminal negligence causing bodily harm is available to the Crown, but is rarely pursued. The burden of proof that a dog owner exhibited wanton disregard for the safety of others beyond a reasonable doubt is a difficult case to make. Usually these kinds of incidents are dealt with through non-criminal statutes such as the City bylaws and civil suits where the burden of proof is based on "the balance of probabilities."

Kevin Galbraith, a Yorkton bylaw control officer, said that since the incident occurred his office has received a high volume of calls about dogs exhibiting aggressive behaviour and wants to "remind people to make sure they have proper control of their animals at all times."

This includes on the owner's own property.