City of Surrey fines owner after fatal dog attack, but animal remains still missing

WARNING: Some of the details in this story may be disturbing. Discretion is advised. The City of Surrey confirms a dog owner has been fined after a fatal dog attack in early January. According to Surrey’s bylaw department, the “deceased dog was off-leash and off its property without the owner present. The bite appears to have occurred on the boulevard in front of the attacking dog’s property, which is City property. “Under Section 44(a) of the Animal Responsibility Bylaw, tethered dogs must be restrained so they can’t leave their property. As the incident occurred on the boulevard, the attacking dog is confirmed to have left its property. As a result, the owners will be issued a violation ticket of $450.” “I think we really need to look at our bylaws, and dogs that are killing and mauling other animals should be taken to task,” Surrey city councillor Linda Annis told Global News on Wednesday. Jug Thandi told Global News last week that her family’s small elderly dog, Lucky, was fatally mauled by a neighbour’s much larger dog, and its body allegedly disposed of following the deadly attack. Shortly after 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 4, Jug said Lucky wandered from their home in North Surrey. When he didn’t return, the Thandis canvassed their neighbourhood, and obtained shocking video surveillance capturing their pet’s demise. In one security video, Lucky is seen just metres from home on the edge of a neighbour’s driveway, before he’s grabbed by a large dog and dragged away. Another angle of surveillance shows the larger dog tossing the elderly dog around like a rag doll, until he stops moving. Get breaking National news Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy . “It was absolutely horrific that this happened to someone’s pet, which is a family member, but it could have been much, much worse,” said Annis. “It could have been a child.” It’s unclear, what, if anything, is being done to prevent the dog from attacking again. The city of Surrey initially agreed to do an interview but later cancelled, refusing to answer any questions about the incident on camera. Animal law lawyer V. Victoria Shroff, K.C. told Global News that the owners of the attacking dog might have committed a crime by allegedly disposing of Lucky’s body after the attack. Shroff said animals are legally classified as property and in this case, potential theft or mischief may apply under the criminal law. “I would think that there would be a situation where the person whose animal died would want to have the body back,” she said. “Regardless of the circumstances of how that animal was killed, people want closure for their sentient family member. And so it’s very understandable in this horrible situation that the family would say, ‘Please give me back at least the remains so we can have a proper send-off for our beloved animal.'” Shroff said it is a balance of responsibility to care for an animal and to keep the public safe and she...

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