Dog attack at Ag grounds

Times Reporters 

 

Two large dogs that got loose the morning of July 6 wreaked havoc at the Ag. Society grounds. The dogs attacked a herd of sheep that were brought in by the Sunshine Hutterite Colony as part of a grazing lease. 

“We do the sheep because it’s good for the environment, it saves us from running the machines to cut the grass,” said Jim Cammaert, chief executive officer for the Strathmore and District Ag. Society. 

“It’s always a tragedy when animals get hurt.”

It appears the two dogs managed to escape from home at approximately 5 a.m., and it is possible they had about four hours with the sheep before anyone took notice. 

“When we showed up we could only locate one dog as the other one had already returned home. We were able to corner the other dog in the football field and we kind of contained it until the owner showed up to get it under control,” said Cnst. Andrew Lindsay with the Strathmore RCMP. 

“We went back into the Ag grounds to assess the damage, we discovered three dead sheep and four seriously injured ones that had to be put down after consultation with the vet, which brought the total to seven that were killed.”

In addition to the animals killed, there were another 16 that were injured. There was also a goat that was seriously injured, though an assessment is still being completed as of press time to see if the goat will be euthanized as well. 

Lindsay stated that once employees were aware of the situation they did chase the dogs off of the property a couple of times. 

“I think they were doing everything they could do. We’re still not sure how the dogs got in, so they’re actually in the process of just going through the fence to make sure there are no holes. They could have slipped underneath in some spots if there’s a difference in grade on the ground,” said Lindsay. 

Through consultation with the SPCA it was determined that the dogs could return to their owner. Lindsay said if they had attacked a person then the dogs could have been seized and quarantined for up to 10 days. 

Lindsay also stated that there has been a history of the dogs escaping from home before, but there have never been any injuries to humans or animals until the July 6 incident. 

“If they get back out we may have to consider seizing them, just because obviously something’s not being done other than not being properly held in their yard, or the owners not taking proper responsibility for them,” said Lindsay. 

“We haven’t laid any charges at this point, we’re still investigating and we’re actually consulting with crown council to determine what would be the most appropriate charge and whether we’re going to go under a provincial act or a municipal bylaw.”

If the dogs do get out again, Lindsay said, the situation will be dealt with in a manner that depends on the circumstances.