While most parents were sharing family time on Mother含羞草研究社檚 Day, Dave and Jaime Skarbo were nursing their 10-year-old daughter who was seriously injured when she and two other children were attacked by two pitbulls.
The attack happened Saturday, shortly after 10 a.m., when their daughter, who they含羞草研究社檝e asked not be identified, was waiting on the front lawn of her friends含羞草研究社 home, located on Ranchview Drive, in Nanaimo含羞草研究社檚 Cinnabar Valley neighbourhood, for her mother to pick her up for her gymnastics class.
Out of the blue, two pitbulls ran across the street and attacked the three children.
含羞草研究社淲e were just sitting on our lawn by the tree and the two dogs just came running down and jumped on us and attacked us,含羞草研究社 said Natasha Torney, 11. 含羞草研究社淚 ran up to the door and my brother ran up to the door with me and my friend ran towards the road. She got pulled down and attacked.含羞草研究社
Natasha was grabbed on the arm by one of the dogs, but her brother Jayden, 8, managed to strike the animal with his hockey stick, buying them enough time to escape into the front door of their home, but their friend was pulled down as one of the dogs ripped into her arm.
Cathy Torney, mother of Natasha and Jayden, said she woke to the terrified screams of her daughter.
含羞草研究社淭hey pulled her down by her hair. The other dog got her arm and, luckily, a neighbour of ours came down with the bat and got the dogs off of her,含羞草研究社 Torney said.
Nanaimo RCMP confirmed in a press release Tuesday that they attended the home of the dog owners with Animal Control Services and seized the animals.
含羞草研究社淎nimal control seized the dogs and they were humanely euthanized,含羞草研究社 noted Nanaimo RCMP in the release. 含羞草研究社淭he investigation is ongoing.含羞草研究社
Torney, a nurse, said the girl含羞草研究社檚 injuries were severe that the flesh was like jelly inside the cloth of her hoodie. Some of the flesh was completely missing.
含羞草研究社淚t was bad, really bad,含羞草研究社 Torney said.
Dave Skarbo said his daughter sustained deep lacerations to the upper and lower part of her arm.
含羞草研究社淭he underside [of her arm] where the dog clamped on and just started thrashing, you could watch the muscle move inside her arm,含羞草研究社 Skarbo said. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 big. It took two doctors and hour and a half to stitch her up while she was put under because they couldn含羞草研究社檛 just do local freezing. There was just too much damage.含羞草研究社
Skarbo, who was going grocery shopping, received a phone call about the incident and arrived on the scene ahead of paramedics.
含羞草研究社淚 raced back and got inside was just appalled by what I saw,含羞草研究社 he said.
In total the girl was treated for more than nine hours in hospital and was violently ill for most of the following day as she recovered from the anesthetics and other drugs used in the treatment.
Another woman, who lives nearby, but declined to talk with media, also tried to help the girl and was also attacked by the dogs and taken to hospital with injuries to her right arm. Torney said the woman received multiple stitches to her arm.
Skarbo said he含羞草研究社檚 grateful people were there to help, that his daughter suffered no nerve or tendon damage and that the dogs did not attack her neck and head. The muscle damage will take a long time to heal and Skarbo said the doctors did what they could to stitch the girl含羞草研究社檚 injuries to minimize scarring.
While the attack was happening, the dogs含羞草研究社 owners arrived on the scene, put the dogs in a vehicle and allegedly left without checking on the condition of the victims.
含羞草研究社淚 don含羞草研究社檛 see the difference between that and having a hit-and-run with a car and leaving the scene of an accident,含羞草研究社 Skarbo said. 含羞草研究社淧eople are hurt. There含羞草研究社檚 kids screaming on the road, is what the people have told me, and they just left and, luckily the people had the wherewithal to get a licence plate number and remember that licence plate number and whatever, in everything that was going on, and were able to catch the people.含羞草研究社
含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 angry that the police and animal control were aware of this owner and aware of the dogs,含羞草研究社 Torney said. 含羞草研究社淭here含羞草研究社檚 been many complaints. There含羞草研究社檚 been other incidents and still their hands were tied until something like this happens.含羞草研究社
Skarbo said there should be no second chance for owners of vicious dogs and that pitbulls should be banned in the neighbourhood.
含羞草研究社淎bsolutely. Communities like this, there含羞草研究社檚 so many kids含羞草研究社卟菅芯可鐫 he said. 含羞草研究社淎s a responsible dog owner, if you含羞草研究社檙e going to have these kinds of dogs and you have an incident, there should be no second chance.含羞草研究社
Pitbulls are a restricted breed in Nanaimo and there is breed-specific legislation that requires they be muzzled, confined indoors or kept in an enclosure unless they have received kennel club certification.
Carley Colclough, animal services pound coordinator, said ticketing is the only enforcement action that would relate to a restricted breed being at large or unmuzzled. She said the community charter does allow the pound to seize a dog in the interest of public safety, but that process would need to go through the court system.
As far as changing bylaws around animal control, Colclough said that would be up to mayor and council.
含羞草研究社淲e absolutely make our recommendations known to the city, but we含羞草研究社檙e just tasked with enforcing the bylaws, not with creating them or anything like that,含羞草研究社 she said.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com or call 1-800-222-8477.
-with files from Greg Sakaki/The News Bulletin
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