A woman is in critical condition with horrific injuries and two more people received hospital care after a vicious mauling in a Richmond park by a Rottweiler/husky dog.
At around 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Richmond Mounties rushed to South Arm Park near to Whiteside elementary in the 9200 block of Williams Road after multiple 9-1-1 calls advised that a woman was being viciously mauled by a dog.
It’s believed the 21-year-old victim was trying to lure the now out-of-control dog away from her three-year-old nephew.
As officers arrived, a woman was on the ground, covered in blood and trying to fend off the large, 80-pound crossbreed.
One of the officers then distracted the dog while his colleague tried to rescue the woman.
“The dog was momentarily distracted and returned to re-attack the victim and now one of our officers,” explained Richmond RCMP’s Cpl. Dennis Hwang.
“She was then forced to discharge her service pistol at the dog.”
It’s understood the dog then ran away, uninjured, before being caught shortly afterwards. It’s now in the care of the Richmond Animal Protection Society.
The main victim suffered more than 100 bites to her body, a fractured arm and a detached bicep. She is currently undergoing surgery and is listed in critical condition.
“She was trying to draw the dog away from attacking her three-year-old nephew, the son of her twin sister,” added Hwang.
“Her twin sister also sustained serious injuries, namely, multiple lacerations to her body while defending her son from the dog. She was also transported to hospital.
“The boy was luckily unharmed. Their drive to protect the boy was incredibly heroic.”
Police say the dog belonged to a boyfriend of one of the sisters.
“Prior to our officers arriving, a Good Samaritan attempted to intervene, but was also attacked by the dog,” said Hwang.
“He unselfishly put himself in harm’s way in order to protect a fellow human being. He was also treated in hospital suffering from lacerations to his hand. It was a miracle that our officers were unharmed.”
The News has learned that the Good Samaritan was 72-year-old Ken Brodie, who jumped over his backyard fence after hearing the woman’s cries for help.
Brodie attempted to remove the dog from the woman but was also attacked. He said he lost a pint of blood from his bite wounds by the time he got to Richmond Hospital.
“It was like a killing machine,” Brodie told The News.
“(The victim) looked like a pin cushion with all the puncture wounds on her lower extremities.”
Hwang said the RCMP’s Victim Services Unit has been brought in to help.
“We are thankful to Richmond city bylaws officers and Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS) officers for their assistance,” said Hwang.
