Couple speaks out after dog attack in Stanley Park off-leash area

A West End couple says they want the owner of the dog that attacked theirs to do the right thing and help cover the cost of an $1,100 bill from an emergency animal hospital.

According to Bugra Firat, he took his five-year-old doodle Goldie to the fenced off-leash area near the tennis courts in Stanley Park on Tuesday evening.

He said within a few minutes of arriving, another dog aggressively attacked Goldie.

"Straight on the throat. I was panicked. I was trying to pull them apart. I wasn’t sure what I was doing but at some point, he let go,” Firat said.

He said Goldie has a gentle disposition and generally interacts well with other dogs – but he worries that might change after this traumatic incident.

Vets at the emergency animal hospital used eight sutures to close a number of puncture wounds in Goldie’s neck.

They also inserted a pair of drain tubes to prevent fluid from building up in her throat.

Firat exchanged numbers with the owner of the other dog but says the man has stopped responding to his messages.

"You might not always have the means to be able to pay the vet bills, or whatever, but just taking accountability, taking responsibility and acting in such a way, I think that's kind of what I expect,” Firat said in an interview with CTV News.

The $1,100 bill only covers Goldie’s first visit to the animal hospital and she has two more appointments scheduled as she continues to recover.

CTV News reached the owner of the other dog by phone.

He characterized the incident as a dog fight rather than a dog attack.

"He's been messaging me that the dog bill was over a $1,000 and I should pay for that,” said the man, who identified himself as Dio. “And I don't think it's fair because it was not just not my dog's fault."

Dio claims his dog also went to the vet to be treated for injuries and says the bill for that came to approximately $300.

He told CTV News he would share images of his dog’s injuries but he has not done so.

The City of Vancouver confirms animal control officers are aware of the incident and have opened an investigation.

The city’s animal control bylaw spells out fines for dogs that exhibit aggressive behaviour including biting or attacking people or domesticated animals.

Financial penalties start at $250.

Investigators also have the power to classify a dog as an aggressive animal and that requires the owner follow a strict set of conditions.

Those include obtaining an aggressive dog license at a cost of $200 per year, making sure the dog is not taken to designated off-leash areas, and muzzling the dog when in public.

While the investigation unfolds, Firat and his partner are focused on Goldie’s physical and emotional recovery.

"I imagine it's going to be a small, slow sort of introduction to other dogs, to the park, and to walking,” he said. “And also it's about reading her body language too."