Cop Shoots At Attacking Dog In Ritzy NeighbourhoodThursday May 28, 2009
CityNews.ca Staff
A bizarre manhunt is underway in one of Toronto ritziest neighbourhoods. Or in this case, a dog hunt.
It happened around 3pm Thursday when cops arrived at a home located at 14 Royal Oak Dr., in the Lawrence and Bayview area.
An officer was in the neighbourhood for separate reasons when he was suddenly attacked by a German Shepherd, which was guarding one of the expensive houses. It's not clear how it got loose but the animal apparently tried to attack a girl before turning on the cop.
"I went to the neighbours to knock on the door to ask them to lock him up and no one was home," relates Anne Perlman. "And he sort of attacked her [daughter], he growled and he bared his teeth at her. So we went back into the house, and I have this little dog that could be dinner for this German Shepherd. So we just stayed inside the house. And we saw him running around ... and I heard that unfortunately, there'd been an incident."
That 'incident' occurred when the lawman, in the area for a different call, came upon the animal. He repeatedly attempted to avoid a confrontation, but when the dog came after him several times, he pulled out his weapon and fired.
Neighbours were stunned by the sound of bullets careening in their normally quiet area. "We heard a couple of gunshots and then we saw a police car drive by," remembers Vitali Bourchtein. "Seems like they were chasing something."
A blood trail at the scene shows the canine was hit, but before anyone could check on it, the dog scampered away and remained on the loose in a ravine in nearby Sunnybrook Park.
The officer wasn't seriously hurt in the incident and it's not known how badly the dog may have been wounded.
Animal Control was summoned to the scene to help in the search but residents with dogs and small children were being asked to avoid the area, because wounded animals are more dangerous and more likely to come after anyone they encounter.
