MONTREAL - A female pit bull was put to death Thursday after an injunction request to stay the euthanization was denied in Quebec Superior Court Wednesday afternoon.
The dog, Wicca, was seized Monday by the Berger Blanc pound after weeks of legal wrangling and the dog owner disputing the facts of the case. According to court documents, Wicca jumped up on a female passerby on June 7 in Villeray, scratching and biting her abdomen. The dog later reportedly bit a paramedic who came to treat the passerby. The dog’s owner, Chris Papakostas, told The Gazette there is no proof the woman was bitten, only scratched, and he noted the paramedic’s version of the story changed between the police report and the court document. Neither the passerby nor the paramedic were treated in hospital.
Meanwhile, the city of Montreal says it is looking for a new way to deal with dogs deemed dangerous enough to be put down.
“If a dog harms, bites or attacks a person, there should only be one sentence and that’s euthanasia,” said Martine Painchaud, spokesperson for Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay. “But what we’re saying is that the owner who contests the euthanasia decision should have 24 hours to find an expert and do that.”
Painchaud said the clause will be included in an overhaul of animal control policies to be proposed by the central city to the boroughs this fall.
According to court documents, police felt the woman victim needed medical attention and they called an ambulance. The woman was treated on the scene and did not make a police report. A paramedic who went to Papakostas to ask whether the dog had all her shots said in a police report the animal “gripped” his pants with her teeth and that he felt pain in one testicle as a result. He was not hospitalized.
The dog “jumped up on him and her snout hit his crotch,” Papakostas countered. “It was my fault for letting her leash go a little bit after (the paramedic) said he was not afraid of dogs.”
In a letter written for Wicca, Papakostas apologized for the outcome and for not being able to protect her. The letter was posted on a Facebook page called Montreal Dog Blog.