The pit bull that viciously attacked a Surrey, B.C., toddler last week has been returned to the family home.
Three-year-old Justice Paradis was rushed to hospital on Friday after being mauled by his family's pit bull -- called Haze -- inside their Whalley home.
"[The dog] grabbed him on the face and whipped him down,'' said Justice's father, DeJal-Blue Paradis, adding that the boy was left with a hole in his cheek.
The dog was seized by the SPCA.
Haze is usually kept on a chain outside the house, but DeJal-Blue Paradis had let the dog inside the living room unleashed.
"I should have known better,'' Paradis said. "I should not have let my son out of my range."
The SPCA confirms the pit bull has been returned to the home and the little boy is believed to be back in the house as well.
RCMP say they will not pursue criminal charges because Friday's mauling happened by a household pet inside a family home. If the attack happened on a city street or at a local park the city's strict bylaws would be applicable.
Previously, seized animals are kept indefinitely by the SPCA and may not be returned without the owner paying a hefty fine. Officials also have the power to order the dog destroyed.
Mark Vosper of the Surrey SPCA says he is hopeful the incident won't be repeated.
"It's a possibility but hopefully with some education this is a hard lesson to learn but things could improve," he said.
Surrey's mayor Dianne Watts hopes new amendments to the city's vicious dog bylaw will prevent dogs deemed dangerous from ever going home.
"It's just irresponsible. It shouldn't be returned and I don't know why it would ever be returned."
The SPCA is still trying to convince the family to put down the dog so it won't be a risk to anyone else.
On Sunday, dozens of pit bull owners rallied in defense of their dogs to show support for the breed following negative media coverage about the attack.
Organizer Shelagh Begg said as soon as the word "pit bull" is mentioned people blame the breed and any dog could be set off if it was constantly chained up outside and not used to small children.
"The people that either own this breed or have experience with this breed, they get it," she said.
"We need to look at the cause and the effect. Let's start looking at accountability of the owner rather than looking at the breed because any dog is capable of the things we're hearing about."
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Julia Foy
