Newmarket, Ontario – A Newmarket resident, Stephen Burnley, is advocating for more stringent action after a harrowing incident on Canada Day involving a neighboring dog that attacked his own pet, Rex. Burnley and his partner were enjoying time in their backyard when the pit bull mix from the neighbor’s property hopped the fence and proceeded to maul Rex in a vicious attack. Both Burnley and his partner sustained injuries while trying to intervene and stop the assault.
The attack left both Burnley and his dog with significant injuries, with Burnley requiring hospitalization and stitches for the wounds inflicted by the aggressive dog. Despite reporting the incident to the authorities, Burnley expressed frustration over the lack of enforcement of laws surrounding violent dog attacks. The Town of Newmarket issued a dangerous dog order following the incident, mandating the dog to be tethered on the property, but Burnley claimed that the neighbor had repeatedly disregarded the order.
Animal Services supervisor Jacob Brewer stated that all dogs are treated equally under municipal bylaws, with considerations given to the severity of the attack, the dog’s history, and the likelihood of reoccurrence. Burnley voiced concerns about the reluctance of the municipality to escalate the matter to provincial legislation, the Dog Owners’ Liability Act, which holds owners accountable for their dogs’ actions, regardless of breed.
While Burnley is confident that the offending dog is a pit bull mix, he believes that the focus should be on holding the owner accountable rather than destroying the animal. The Dog Owners’ Liability Act provides measures such as issuing notices to muzzle or dangerous dog orders, with the option to escalate enforcement through the Act if necessary. Recent adjustments to the Act by the Ford government have aimed to address issues surrounding the seizure of animals for public safety.
The incident in Newmarket is not an isolated one, with previous cases of vicious dog attacks resulting in serious injuries to residents and their pets. Burnley emphasized the need for stricter enforcement of laws to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. He stressed that the responsibility ultimately lies with the owners to properly control and manage their dogs to ensure community safety.