Friday, May 31, 2013

Canada: Rottweilers attack letter carrier; dog shot by police

CANADA -- An attack on a letter carrier by two loose Rottweilers led to the shooting of one of the dogs by Saskatoon police Friday afternoon, according to a witness.

Around 12:15 p.m., Andrew Chamberlin was sitting in his home in the 2900 block of 20th Street West when he heard a commotion outside and went to see what was going on.

“There was a mailman standing there all bloody,” said Chamberlin. “He said, ‘I was just attacked by some dogs.’”


Two Rottweilers, which Chamberlin recognized as belonging to his next door neighbours, were loose and running around the area.

Chamberlin said he got a stick from his house and tried to shoo the dogs away, but they stayed in the area.

Paramedics arrived on the scene, but were unable to reach the injured man due to the dogs. Fire crews arrived shortly after, and used sticks and a snare to try to fend the dogs off, but were unsuccessful, Chamberlin said.

Police finally arrived on the scene, and one of the dogs was shot dead in the intersection of 20th Street and Vancouver Avenue South. The other dog ran away, and officers took off in pursuit.

After the second dog fled, a man and two women who live in the house and own the dogs arrived, according to Chamberlin. The man had a heated conversation with the officers, then got into a car and went with them to pursue the second dog.

They were able to locate the second dog without incident, according to a news release by Saskatoon Police Service (SPS).

The 59-year-old letter carrier was taken to St, Paul’s Hospital with non-life threatening lacerations, according to an MD Ambulance spokesperson.

According to Chamberlin, the two dogs were usually not aggressive.

“They were really nice dogs. My niece went to play with them before. Until they got out. Then they were all crazy,” he said.

The two dogs were usually locked in the back yard, Chamberlin said, but the lock to the yard had been pulled clean off. It was unclear who had unlocked the gate.

The use of force by police will be reviewed in according to police policy, according to SPS.

(The StarPhoenix - May 31, 2013)

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