Owners of dog attacked by pit bull in downtown Vancouver frustrated by city's response

Sheila Woodley describes Blitz, her five-year-old German shephard, as a gentle giant.

“He truly is the goodwill ambassador of the neighbourhood. Everybody knows him,” Woodley said.

On Sunday, her husband Mark was walking Blitz on Robson Street near Denman Street when their dog was suddenly attacked by a pit bull in front of the Times Square Hotel.

“He said it was so fast, it was like a snake strike. He didn’t see it, he just heard it. He heard the reaction of our dog, he turned around, and saw the pit bull with our dog’s face in its mouth,” said Woodley, adding her husband managed to get a photo of the attack.

She said the pit bull’s owners had trouble getting their dog’s jaws off Blitz’s face.

“And finally when the dog released, they ran into their apartment, and that’s the last we've heard or seen,” said Woodley. “I would have liked them to acknowledge it. If this was my dog doing the attack, I would not have run away. I would have stayed, I would have given them my name, my phone number, and said, 'Please send me the bill.'”

Blitz was taken to the vet, where he underwent emergency surgery on his mouth for several deep puncture wounds from the pit bull’s teeth.

“The vets just were horrified at the punctures and the holes and the blood,” Woodley said.

She said she has pet insurance to cover the $2,000 bill, but wants animal control to investigate. She has provided photos of the attack itself, and the pit bull’s owners, along with the address of the hotel the pair ran into.

“It’s really frustrating that it’s now day three, and nobody seems to care. Nobody is doing anything,” said Woodley, who would like to see the pit bull be forced to wear a muzzle in public.

“My concern is other dogs, other people. If this was small dog, it would not have survived this attack.”

CTV News reached out to the city, which handles animal control. A spokesperson said an investigation into the incident is underway.

Blitz will have to be spoon feed for 10 days, but he’s expected to make a full recovery. While his physical wounds will heal, Woodley is worried about what the attack has done to him psychologically.

“I don’t feel safe now if I want to walk down to Robson and Denman to have a coffee that that dog is not going to be outside, and I don’t know what his reaction will be, but my reaction will be terror,” she said. “And he will pick up on that. And I would feel safer if that dog was muzzled.” 

Blitz will have to be spoon feed for 10 days, but he’s expected to make a full recovery.