A White Rock family is calling for a ban on pit bulls after their four-year-old daughter was mauled while playing at a backyard barbecue on Thursday.
Elizabeth and Mike Cranford say their daughter Emma-Leigh was walking by a family friend’s pit bull when it snapped and attacked her.
The Cranfords say the dog savagely bit the girl’s neck and face, pinning her between a bench and a fence.
“All I heard was the growl and my daughter was just screaming,” Mrs. Cranford said. “My brother was right there. He reacted immediately and took the dog off her.”
The girl was rushed to hospital for surgery to repair the huge wound, which left a large scar along her jaw line.
The pit bull was euthanized on Monday. The Cranfords say they don’t blame the dog’s owner for the attack, and that Emma-Leigh had interacted with it before without incident.
“These are good owners,” Mrs. Cranford said. “My mind has changed. I used to say give [pit bulls] a chance, it’s the owners. Not this time. It was unprovoked.”
Emma-Leigh’s father said B.C. should have a ban similar to those implemented in other Canadian jurisdictions, including Ontario and Winnipeg.
“I’ve always felt pretty comfortable around dogs and always had an uneasy feeling around pit bulls… because you hear horror stories about them all the time,” he said. “I know they have this lock jaw thing.”
White Rock city councillor Al Campbell said he will table the issue of a ban when council reconvenes in September.
“Somewhere in the genes they do have the ability just to snap. We have heard so often dogs that are good family pets and they just snap,” Campbell said. “The stigma is attached to pit bulls, there’s no question.”
But April Fahr, board member from pit bull advocacy group Hug-A-Bull said breed specific bans don’t work.
“They are absolutely not effective,” Fahr said. “There has never been a documented case that has seen a reduction in bites. In Ontario they’ve seen no reduction in bites in seven years.”
Fahr said banning the breed isn’t the answer, and instead encourages educating owners and children on dog safety.
“My first reaction is huge sympathy,” she said. “I can’t imagine how hard that could have been, it’s heartbreaking. But when people are upset we tend to look for easy answers. Unfortunately with this breed people tend to go straight to the breed label.”
Emma-Leigh is recovering at home from the frightening ordeal.
“We’re very thankful that she’s alive,” Mrs. Cranford said. “She’s going to have a scar for the rest of her life but we’re very thankful because it could have been a lot worse.”
