Dog that killed N.S. owner had shown violent tendencies before: documents

Pit bull that killed owner was violent: documents Documents obtained by CTV News reveal that a dog that killed its owner in the spring had shown violent tendencies. Bruce Frisko reports.

CHASWOOD, N.S. — Documents obtained by CTV News reveal that a dog that killed its owner back in the spring had shown violent tendencies before, including an earlier attack.

Megan Milner's death in Nova Scotia's Musquobodoit Valley made headlines across the country.

There were no witnesses to the actual attack on June 9, but a passing jogger had seen Milner sitting with the large animal in the ditch a short time earlier.

Milner's body was later found at the scene, prompting police to issue a warning about a dangerous dog on the loose. After hearing the news, a local resident purposely ran down the dog in his vehicle, killing the animal.

An autopsy confirmed that Milner had died as a result of injuries caused by the dog.

Athletic and outdoorsy, Milner had a range of interests, including an audition for a documentary fighting series about a decade ago.

Friends, though, say her pit bulls were the great love of her life.

The female was a gentle giant; the male, another story.

Redacted documents obtained by CTV News under an access-to-information request reveal a couple of unsettling incidents, including an attack on another dog at an off-leash park in 2017.

The report says it took six people to separate them.

In November 2018, police and ambulance were dispatched to a property after a woman was attacked by the dog.

Both animals wound up in the pound, but the owner picked them up the next day.

After Milner's death, the female dog wound up back in the pound, but she's getting a second chance at a new life.

"The other dog that was residing in the residence was a lovely dog," said Jo-Anne Landsburg of the Nova Scotia SPCA. "There were no issues with this particular dog and she was successfully re-homed with the new owner's knowledge about where she came from. We understand she's doing wonderfully, and we wish her the best."

The SPCA has 16 contracts around Nova Scotia for animal control, but local bylaws are different.

In some areas, officers have the right to order a dangerous dog euthanized.

"In HRM, the SPCA does not have the contract for that, so it would have been up to the officers and those in charge, but I do believe they have to go through a court process to have the dog euthanized in HRM," said Landsburg.

Police closed the file on the case just two weeks later, saying there was no criminal intent associated with the death of the dog.

Milner's unwavering love and loyalty to her animals was intact to the end.

Her mother, Cathy, said she's since learned of previous incidents involving the male dog, and that friends had even urged Milner to surrender him.

She was said to be considering that, but kept putting it off.

Cathy Milner says she wishes her daughter would have followed through.