Dog named Kujo likely to 'kill or injure,' B.C. court rules in euthanasia decision
Dog named Kujo likely to 'kill or injure,' B.C. court rules in euthanasia decision
Dogs are seen in a pound in an undated Shutterstock file image.
A dog named Kujo will be euthanized after a B.C. judge determined the animal is "likely to kill or injure" if released from the pound.
An animal control officer from Port Coquitlam applied to have Kujo labelled as dangerous and put down after the dog attacked a kennel employee and a shelter attendant in two separate incidents 11 months apart.
"He has bitten two different people, causing serious injuries," provincial court judge Wilson Lee wrote in a Jan. 27 decision. "I find that this is a strong indicator of the likelihood of his future actions."
The first attack happened in September 2021, when Kujo, who is described as being a "pit bull-type breed," was being kept at Countryside Kennels, a boarding and training business that was then used as Port Coquitlam's animal pound.
An employee entered Kujo's kennel to take him for a walk, but when she turned her back on the dog he "lunged at her, biting the thumb of her left hand and breaking through the nail," according to an agreed statement of facts in the case.
Kujo then bit the woman's arm and foot, while also tearing through her shirt.
Even after the employee managed to escape the kennel and close the door, the court decision noted that Kujo "continued to aggressively lunge and jump at her through the gate, trying to bite her fingers."
The second attack happened when an attendant at a different shelter took Kujo into the facility's courtyard in August 2022. After the woman petted Kujo, the dog's head suddenly turned in such a way that left her feeling unsafe, according to the decision. As she was getting up to leave, Kujo bit her hand.
That attendant "sustained three puncture wounds to her arm, soft tissue damage and a swollen wrist," the statement of facts reads.
The court heard Kujo belonged to a homeless woman who had been "unwilling or unable" to control the dog when he was free. The officer who applied for Kujo's dangerous dog designation said she had seen the animal running off-leash numerous times before, and believed him to be a public safety risk.
Kujo has been impounded since August 2019, following an incident near Castle Park Elementary School in which a passerby spotted the dog unleashed and tried to place a spare leash on his neck. Kujo became startled and bolted off, dragging the passerby along a gravel road and leaving her bruised and scratched.
Based on Kujo's history, Lee agreed to designate the dog as dangerous, which comes with strict conditions that many owners would have trouble meeting, including a requirement that the animal be kept securely confined in a locked enclosure, whether indoors or outdoors, and only taken out in public while leashed and muzzled.
"In cases such as this, the safety of the public is of primary importance," the judge wrote. "Given the evidence before me, I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Kujo is likely to kill or injure in future. This is especially the case because Kujo is frequently found at large, requiring him to be seized and impounded."
Lee also ordered that the animal be euthanized, but no sooner than 31 days from the date of his order.
Ottawa Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the residence of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser, the second such incident involving one of his top aides in recent months.
When two skiers collided on a beginner run at an upscale Utah ski resort in 2016, no one could foresee that seven years later, the crash would become the subject of a closely watched celebrity trial.
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
A candidate for the United Conservative Party in southern Alberta has resigned after she posted a video claiming children are being exposed to pornography in schools.
A scientist at CAMH says video games have similar addictive features to gambling which cause social isolation of the individual and dependency on the activity.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a brief initial response to the final report from the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) into Canada's worst mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. Vowing changes will come, here's what Trudeau said in Truro, N.S.
The federal Liberals are trending downward on three key measures while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has surpassed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when it comes to the question of who Canadians would prefer now as their prime minister, according to Nanos Research.
A Toronto police officer's request to explore a theory that a distraught teen he shot was trying to die by "suicide by cop" has been rejected by a coroner overseeing an inquest into the youth's death.
A 32-year-old man from Campbell River, B.C., has been sentenced to four years in prison for the beating death of a 59-year-old homeless man in October 2020.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) says designated landing zones should be available for aircraft in harbours following a crash between a floatplane and a water taxi in Tofino in 2021.
A candidate for the United Conservative Party in southern Alberta has resigned after she posted a video claiming children are being exposed to pornography in schools.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has yet to answer direct questions about a growing scandal of her alleged interference with the justice system, but her deputy premier has responded the media about the issue.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has yet to answer direct questions about a growing scandal of her alleged interference with the justice system, but her deputy premier has responded the media about the issue.
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
Premier Doug Ford is slamming federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault as a “real piece of work” in the wake of public remarks he made suggesting that Ontario has “no plan to fight climate change.”
Just a week after Airbnb tightened regulations for Quebec listings following a deadly fire, hosts may already be bending the rules. Airbnb now requires its hosts to provide a six-digit policy number with their listing, obtained when a tourist lodging is registered with the provincial government. But a scroll through the Airbnb website suggests users are falsifying their permit numbers to sneak past the authentication process.
A lawyer for the United States government told Quebec's highest court today that the country should be immune from prosecution for the infamous brainwashing experiments at McGill University from the 1940s to the 1960s.
It's been two weeks since a major fire ripped through a heritage building in the heart of Old Montreal, killing seven people and forever altering the lives of families across the globe. For the families of those who died, the grieving process is only starting.
Two Manitoba hunting outfitters have been fined thousands of dollars and lost their licenses after a four-year investigation revealed numerous violations of the wildlife act.
A judge has acquitted a now-retired priest of forcing himself on a residential school student more than 50 years ago, saying she believes an assault happened but could not determine beyond a reasonable doubt who did it.
Students at the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine are reluctant to speak up when faculty make racist comments, according to a new report from the human rights commission.
A Mass Casualty Commission report that came out on Thursday following a mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020 may have a local impact on the RCMP Depot model being phased out.
A Mass Casualty Commission report that came out on Thursday following a mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020 may have a local impact on the RCMP Depot model being phased out.
Riley Jolly detailed several injuries he observed on his son, Emerson Whitby, prior to the 18-month-old’s death, during testimony at Court of King’s Bench in Regina on Thursday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a brief initial response to the final report from the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) into Canada's worst mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. Vowing changes will come, here's what Trudeau said in Truro, N.S.
Gun policy comments made by then-RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki in a contentious call to Nova Scotia RCMP officers after the mass shooting in 2020 did not amount to political interference, the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) final report concludes.
When the store manager at La Noisette Bakery arrived Thursday morning to open the small shop on Oxford Street, she discovered that one of the two large circular windows at the side of their building was shattered.
There are exciting plans for Knox Presbyterian Church in downtown Sudbury. Built in 1927, the former church was sold after its congregation dwindled and will be transformed into a concert hall.
Dogs are seen in a pound in an undated Shutterstock file image.
