Saskatoon’s Haultain neighbourhood is on edge after a dog attack last week left a woman injured and her beloved Pomeranian dead.
“I’ve been very traumatized and I’m extremely emotional and lost without Ryder. He meant the world to me and he was like a child to me,” Susan O’Donnell said in a phone interview on Tuesday.
On Thursday, the pair were on their nightly walk.
As O’Donnell and her companion of nine years neared the intersection of Sixth Street East and Dufferin Avenue, O’Donnell saw a trio of large pitbulls running toward her. She said a group of men was behind the dogs.
“My only instinct was to pick him up and try and protect him. I was unable to do that,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell said the three pitbulls jumped on her, knocking her to the ground and biting her hand before turning to Ryder.
O’Donnell described the pitbulls as a “pack of hyenas.” The sounds of the attack drew the attention of neighbours.
Nikita Rathwell said she went to her kitchen window after hearing a commotion outside.
“There’s a woman screaming, ‘They’re killing my dog, they’re killing my dog,'” Rathwell said.
Neighbours were quick to run outside and separate the three pitbulls from the much smaller dog.
Carol Klapwijk, another neighbour, brought a blanket outside to cover Ryder.
Klapwijk said she was worried for O’Donnell, who looked extremely stressed.
“There’s nothing more we could do [for the dog]. I had been a vet tech in previous lifetime of work and there was nothing I knew we could do except comfort him and I could comfort her,” she said.
Eventually O’Donnell contacted her roommate, who helped bring Ryder to a vet clinic.
The Pomeranian’s injuries were judged to be too severe. O’Donnell made the decision to euthanize her dog, an experience she described as the most traumatic thing she’s ever had to do or witness.
Rathwell said the attack was not a surprise for neighbours who live in the area, because the three dogs have gotten out before.
“It’s happened actually multiple times. And you know, the owners have been warned. The landlord had been warned,” Rathwell said.
Rathwell described incidents where the dogs have previously charged at neighbours and children.
Other people in the neighbourhood have previously filed complaints with the Saskatoon Animal Control Agency.
Nothing came of those complaints, Rathwell said.
“It seems like there’s a lot of roadblocks. The process takes a long time and it could be better,” she added.
Vic Bairos, the owner of the pitbulls, claimed to still have the three dogs. He told CBC the Saskatoon Animal Control Agency told him the animals will need to be euthanized.
The Saskatoon Animal Control Agency directed all requests for comment to the City of Saskatoon.
In a statement, the city said it would be unable to “provide further details as the incident remains under investigation.”
Klapwijk said the process needs to change.
“I think we need to change the law for dangerous dogs and you need to let animal control take charge and give them enough power to go and grab them right away,” Klapwijk said.
O’Donnell said she will be submitting a witness statement to the Saskatoon Animal Control Agency. Another neighbour has submitted a graphic video of the incident to the agency as well.
O’Donnell said her neighbours have helped her mourn by providing her with flowers and cards. Others have given her hugs and messages of support.
“My goal is to seek justice for Ryder and the safety of the neighborhood,” O’Donnell said.
She said that means putting the dogs responsible for the attack down.
While O’Donnell waits for the investigation to conclude, she said she will try to remember Ryder as the “sweetest boy.”
“He never ever bit anybody or anything. He loved all animals, even cats, and children,” O’Donnell said.
