One woman is speaking out after an off-leash dog mauled her Yorkshire terrier to death, on an on-leash trail where packs of dog owners let their pets walk untethered every day.
As Doreen Manuel walked her two small Yorkies along the Lower Lynn Creek trail in Lynnmouth Park on June 22, she was reflecting on how healthy and happy they’d become in the nine months since she’d adopted them.
Approaching the cul-de-sac near 5th Street, Manuel noticed a large dog – off leash on the designated on-leash trail – standing near its owners.
Suddenly, the dog charged toward her and her toy terriers.
“I was pulling on their leashes and trying to get them up into my arms quick enough, but I couldn’t – the dog was so fast,” Manuel said. “It grabbed him around his abdominal area and shook him really hard. [My dog] Tyson was screaming and I was yelling: ‘Get your dog, get your dog.’”
The owners of the bigger dog managed to wrestle it off. But it broke free and attacked Tyson a second time, Manuel said.
After wrestling their dog off again, the owners locked it in their car, Manuel said. They apologized profusely, explaining they had just adopted the canine three months ago. They admitted the dog should’ve been on a leash, she said.
But the damage was done. Tyson was bleeding through a number of lesions in his stomach.
The severity of his injuries became more clear as he was taken to three separate animal hospitals. In that process, the other owners paid the first $3,000 for X-rays and Manuel paid another $5,700 to have her dog go into surgery. In the end, Tyson succumbed to his injuries.
The incident left Manuel traumatized, and afraid of what could happen on a future dog walk. She also questions if the current enforcement scheme is enough to deter other owners from flouting the rules.
“I wound up in bed for three days, I couldn’t eat, my adult children had to take care of me,” she said. “I’m a residential school survivor. And I think I probably got more triggered than the average person.”
Manuel added that she felt helpless during the dog attack, a similar response to when she’d witnessed violence in the past. As a result, she’s had to seek counselling, a process that she says has been made overly complicated by the federal government.
Regarding the incident itself, she’s grateful that the other owners seem to be taking responsibility, and covering related costs. But not every dog owner is as accountable, she added.
Manuel questions whether current enforcement enough to deter bad behaviour
When it comes to enforcing off-leash dogs, “animal control doesn’t have the manpower to ticket,” she said.
And as for the signage, “I don’t think people even read it,” Manuel said.
“People who have a good dog … who walk their dog off leash, make it normalized,” she said, adding that it sets a bad example for less experienced owners.
Despite many owners on the trail near Lynn Creek walking their dogs off leash daily, the City of North Vancouver’s animal control service said it generally observes “a high on-leash compliance rate and responsible dog ownership in the city.”
According to the city, animal control has investigated around 37 dog bite files annually over the past four years
“In addition to off-leash complaints, animal control staff proactively patrol the 50-plus parks in the city and engage dog owners and provide education on responsible dog ownership,” city spokesperson Amanda Gibbs said by email.
For off-leash infractions, 42 violation tickets/warnings were issued in 2023, 16 in 2022, 24 in 2021 and 21 in 2020.
Regarding the attack on Manuel’s dog, Gibbs said staff are currently investigating and following up with all known parties. Once that’s complete, staff can take actions that include issuing a written warning or violation ticket, as well as deeming the offending animal as “vicious” under the Dog Tax and Regulation Bylaw.
Vicious dogs must be leashed and muzzled at all times. If deemed a threat, they can be seized and destroyed by a court order, while their owners can face fines and criminal charges.
City staff offered their condolences to Manuel.
“Dog attacks are traumatic events and the loss of a pet can have tough emotional consequences for victims,” Gibbs said. “What we can offer is that reporting the incident and talking about it is the right starting point.”
