District of North Vancouver has fined a dog owner $300 after the dog attacked a four-year-old child in Deep Cove early last month.
On September 2, Sara Elahi and her family were about to enjoy their lunch outside a pizza joint on Gallant Avenue when a dog attacked her four-year-old son, Dani Elahi.
“All I remember is hearing Dani scream and me taking a dive on my knees to just grab him and kick the dog away. I fell back with Dani in my arms and at this point the dog owner had reached and picked up the dog at this point,” says Elahi.
Elahi says she soon realised that the dog had left her son with a serious injury.
“I looked down at Dani and noticed that my right hand was bloody. I moved my hand for a second and saw his ear torn up and earlobe hanging,” she says.
Dani was in surgery for over two hours at the Lions Gate Hospital to have his ear repaired, but the incident has left him scared, and his parents are now seeking therapy for him.
“Emotionally he is very traumatized and scared to leave the home,” Elahi says.
She says the dog had a leash on, but it was not tied to anything. The dog was sitting under a table off-leash, she adds.
Elahi says she would like DNV to set heavy fines for owners who have their dogs off leash where they aren’t supposed to be and to ensure that dog owners take this responsibility seriously.
“I certainly don’t think a $300 fine is going to teach a lesson. It’s a joke really. I don’t know what the purpose of this entire process is because it certainly doesn’t protect the public from a clearly aggressive dog, it doesn’t hold the owner accountable in any way with such a ridiculous fine, and it most certainly does not cover the physical, emotional, and financial trauma and expense that my family has incurred through this,” Elahi says.
She would also like DNV to take immediate action when something like this happens.
“There’s so much risk of this happening again with this dog, and we are waiting for them to review the incident. I feel like the matter is being taken very lightly,” she says.
Cassie Brondgeest, communications coordinator with DNV, says the district takes this type of incident very seriously.
“We take this type of incident very seriously. The dog involved meets the definition of ‘aggressive’ as defined in our Dog Tax and Regulation Bylaw (5981). This means that certain requirements must be met if the dog returns to the District of North Vancouver, including: the dog must be leashed and muzzled; and the dog must be under the owners’ control at all times,” Brondgeest says.
Besides issuing a ticket, the DNV has also notified the dog owner’s home municipality about the incident.
ALSO READ: An 18-storey building is proposed as part of redevelopment of North Shore Neighbourhood House.
Lorelei says
Sickening -what is wrong with the district ? They should be fined , banned from ownership and I hope they can sue civilly to get some relief . $300 is a sick joke !! Poor kid poor parents -how many kids and friendly dogs have to be injured or killed before there’s accountability ?
Louise Nagle says
s.This is but another instance of bad behaviour on the part of irresponsible dog owners.
As an adult owner of a dog this person should have realized her/his dog
is capable of doing harm. A much higher fine and community service work (such as cleaning up the litter from our streets.
Some people should never have the privlage of owning a pet.
Off leash dogs in the District is a problem which has not been enforced!
There are a number of off leash areas to take your dog for exercise if they are not vicious.
Our BYlaws have to reviewed and enforceable.
This little child should not have been injured.
Susan Mann says
I was bitten by a pit Bull. It was known to be aggressive. The owner had it tied up. My ‘friend’ untied the dog and it came straight at me. I turned to run. It grabbed the back of my thigh, creating a hole in brand new jeans. I knew if I fell it would be on me. Someone else grabbed it. That bite turned into a nasty wound. 2 1/2” x 2 1/2”. It raised up as the fatty tissue was pulled off the underlying muscle. Two weeks of a strong antibiotic, two dressing changes a day with an antibiotic cream applied each time and finally, it subsided. It has been 4 months since the bite. Only now can I barely feel the site of the bite.
The dog control person knew of this dog. ‘Oh, it has bitten someone before.’ Again, the dog was let off the leash by someone besides the owner. The owner was fined. This time the owner was NOT fined. ‘Your dog must be muzzled and on leash when off your property.’ The dog control fellow said, “I don’t like to put animals down. I feel they can be ‘turned around’ and not be aggressive.” All very well for him to say. I asked, “What happens when it attacks a child next? It could kill a child!” He didn’t want to listen.
I am not sure if my friend who let the dog off leash was fined or not. We aren’t talking.
Lizanne Kikstra says
At the least muzzled. But if you cannot ever have it unmuzzled without worrying then what kind of life is that. Too dangerous it needs to be put down for peoples safety.
KRobyn says
The dog must be leashed and muzzled, and under the owners control at all times? Easy to say, but who’s enforcing it? This particular owner is paying a small fine, that’s all, like a parking ticket. It attacked a small child and put him through surgery. If his mother hadn’t reacted as fast as she did he might have been killed. That dog should have been destroyed
Armin says
Unbelievable, that this person is getting away with just being fined , !!!
These kind of irresponsible people must be punished and banned for owning a pet for life
M says
A ridiculous 300$ fine while a child and family will be traumatized for a while … Not fare. Dog should be put down. Or … wait for another victim????? Another child??? What are we waiting for? It’s an agressive dog who attacked without reason. Not safe for anyone.
GV says
I feel bad for the kid and all, but when I read about a kid being bitten by a dog , I am curious to know what the kid did to aggravate the dog. I grew up in Deep Cove and it is an outdoor community with many many dogs. The responsibility lies with the adult. But maybe its the adult parent of the child that is to blame in this case. Don’t let your children approach an unknown dog. Friendly or not. Stop hating on dogs in the District. Again, I’m sorry the kid got bitten. But lets hear the whole story, I’m thinking theres more to it.
And to those who commented about having the dog put down. Shame on you.
So sick of the anti dog rhetoric in the Lower Mainland.
Allen says
What a douchebag comment to make. Obviously you’re not a parent to be making such a heartless comment, but take another minute to read the story. They were in a restaurant patio, clearly not a place for a dog to be off leash. The owner was found guilty, I’m sure the District has done their due diligence. I can’t believe you and your comment
Cathy says
Amen!…I too believe there is more to the story. Did the kid approach the dog to pet it?
I’ve been rushed by kids wanting to pet my small dog, that if startled, would nip. You don’t know if the dogs eyesite isn’t great, and or can’t hear.
Did the dog jump up to bite his ear, or was the child leaning into the dog.
More to the story I believe.
Tas says
Thank you for sharing this perspective. It is true to find out if the child bothered the dog, when parents were not watching. If this is the case, parents need to educate their children how to coexist with dogs. If the child did not bother the dog, then it’s the owners responsibility.
Kb says
Horrific! I had a dog rescue many years ago who was a sweet fully trustworthy dog with myself and daughter but noone else. I had her for 4 years and tried everything. When she tried biting a 2 year olds face through a glass door I knew I couldn’t risk a child’s life. What if the door was opened? I put her down – an otherwise healthy dog that had a terrible 3.5yr start in life (so she was 7) – the euthanasia went bad due to the vet missing the spot. I felt guilty and traumatized for years. Couldn’t even go to the vets. I still don’t regret my decision. You can’t risk a child’s life.
Tas says
Wow, you should never have an animal. You could have trained the dog and given it more love.
Lisa says
Interesting that is doesn’t say what led to the attack. If the dog was on a leash under the table, what transpired to result in the child being close enough to the dog to have this happen? It’s horrific and sad and I’m not saying it’s the child’s fault – but I find it interesting that they excluded those details from the article. Makes you wonder what actually happened. Did the child crawl over to the table and get close to the dog without the parents noticing? Or did the dog escape and go after the child? Again not talking blame here – but why isint the whole story being told? If the dog just randomly ran and attacked the child, I’m pretty sure they would write that in the article and the dog would already be put down. There’s more to this that’s not being told I suspect.
Sara E says
I’m the child’s mother and while I understand your curiosity, it’s not fair to assume that something led to the attack. Believe it or not it was just an aggressive dog. There are no other details in the story because there are no other details to it. The dog had a leash on him but it wasn’t tied to anything. It was sitting under a table where his owner was dining along the sidewalk. My son didn’t even know this dog was under the table and he simply ran past that table because he was running over to me. The dog started chasing him…and the rest is in the story. That’s it. It was an irresponsible owner who should have had that dog secured to something, especially in an area that was full of kids and other small dogs. I’m sorry that the story isn’t intriguing enough and that there isn’t more to it, but I’m happy that you feel that the dog would’ve already been put down. That seems like the right thing doesn’t it? But unfortunately not a lot of people know how absurd our laws around dog bites are in this province. I learned it the hard way as you can see. She was given the MAXIMUM fine, $300. And the District thinks they did me a favour by classifying her dog as aggressive…so if he ever visits North Vancouver, he has to wear a muzzle…ONLY in North Vancouver. It’s a joke and as the parent that has been going through this, I’m not only outraged by the outcome of this (it infuriates me that this dog and owner can continue to galivant around as if nothing happened and potentially put other kids at harm), but also so disappointed to read comments like this and GV’s above. Hope this clarifies your questions.
Tas says
If a man punches another man, out of anger, should he be put down? No….but when it’s an animal the answer is not absurd if it’s a yes. The fine is a bit low, yes, but it’s a reflection of how people love their dogs! They are like family members. That’s the culture here. I am very sorry for your son, however he survived which is absolutely amazing. But thinking to put down a dog is so cruel. Would you encourage a child be put down if he bit your son?
Tas says
True!!!!
Suzanne says
This is a horrible, frightening story. My heart goes out to this innocent child and his family. A small child could have easily been killed. Sadly I think a child being killed us what it will take to get municipalities to do anything to safeguard people.