Dad says dog that bit his five-year-old son has history of attacking children

WARNING — This story contains graphic details and an image of a dog bite injury

The father of a five-year-old boy who was attacked by a large dog in the 2700 block of 33rd Street West on Wednesday claims the animal has a history of attacking children.

Connor Christopherson said his son, Davius, was with his grandmother in her yard while he was at work. He said just after 4 p.m. he got a call that no parent ever wants to get.

“I was told an ambulance was on the way and my child was bitten, so I rushed over there to find my son on a stretcher, bleeding everywhere,” he recalled.

Davius was taken by ambulance to a hospital where he received seven stitches to close a large wound on his upper arm. Christopherson said there were several other puncture wounds on his son’s body aside from the large bite.

“He had a cell transfusion shot because they thought the dog could possibly have rabies,” he recalled. “They thought the dog had rabies because it attacked four people.”

Davius Christopherson’s injuries. (Submitted)

Christopherson said that based on information he was able to gather, the dog’s owner knew the animal was a danger and asked a family member living in the same home to keep it indoors.

“This dog attacked a child in that house about a week prior,” Christopherson claimed.

He said that on Wednesday, the dog, which he describe as a pit bull, had been trying to burst through a fence to escape its yard. As a result, he said his mother asked the neighbours to take the animal inside.

Christopherson believes that a short time later, the family member caring for the dog intentionally let the animal out to “prove it was very nice.”

“And before anyone could pet it or get close to it, it runs and attacks my son. For no reason. Ferociously, and just ripped open his arm,” he said.

Christopherson said he believes the woman who let the dog out tried to pry the animal off his son, and in the process lost her own thumb.

That wasn’t the end of the attack, he added.

“My son’s in the house, bleeding. The ambulance is on the way, and somebody opens the door. The dog runs back outside and continues to attack people,” he believed.

Christopherson said he believes the attack could have been prevented, and he’s angry the wishes of the dog’s owner were apparently disregarded.

He said his son is traumatized after the attack, but otherwise is doing as well as possible.

“He wasn’t great last night. He woke up crying. But today he’s in a good mood. He said that his arm was very sore, but that he went out and went to Ruckers and played the games he could with one arm. He told me he feels brave and he feels strong,” he said.

Christopherson said he’s spoken with the Saskatoon Animal Control Agency, and the dog is now being kept for rabies observation.

The father said he’s not upset with the dog’s owner, but is angry with the person who apparently let the dog out of the home. He said he hopes the animal is eventually euthanized.

According to a statement from the City of Saskatoon, the owner voluntarily surrendered the animal. An investigation is now underway and “if the investigator is recommending either a dangerous animal hearing or charges against the owner, the file is turned over to prosecutors in the City Solicitor’s Office for any possible court action against an owner.”

Christopherson said he wants people to know the dangers of a dog attack.

“People really need to be careful with what type of animal they have around a child,” he said. “If it has previous issues, it should not be around a child whatsoever.”

Why dogs attack

Barry Gay, head dog trainer at Buena Vista Kennels and author of ‘Balanced Training: Obedience for Dogs and Their Owners,’ said canines can attack for a number of reasons.

“Usually it’s a couple of things, like fear, and the phrase ‘the best defence can be an offence,’ ” said Gay.

“Another possibility is if the dog thinks they are in charge of security for the person that’s walking them, that means that the dog doesn’t think that the person that is walking them is the leader.”

If a dog feels threatened by a person or other animal, Gay said the dog may feel more inclined to be aggressive towards them.

“If the dog is poorly socialized in the first place, or led a life before where the dog owner didn’t know how to be the leader, the dog has to have a leader and, unfortunately, that role falls onto the dog,” said Gay.

When dogs attack out of fear, Gay said they usually bite in multiple places.

“The best way to stop your dog from attacking is to grab its back legs or tail,” said Gay.

If a dog bites someone and won’t let go, Gay said the best way to stop the attack is to block the dog’s air supply, because once they need to breathe they will let go.

–With files from 650 CKOM’s Will Mandzuk