A Barrie man has been fined in relation to a vicious dog attack that hospitalized a boy in Barrie earlier this year. The man who was in possession of the animal when the attack happened on June 8, was fined $2,000 and banned from owning dogs by a Barrie bylaw court on Monday morning. The court gave him one year to make the payment. Barrie Police say the case has been closed and they will not be laying any additional charges. June 8 - The Attack Around 8:45 a.m. on June 8, 11-year-old Arthur Camilotti was riding his scooter to school when he was attacked by a dog along Essa Road, by Logger’s run. “He got me on the head and in the back, and he got me on my leg and also on my left arm and my left hand,” Camilotti later told CTV News. “I honestly thought I was going to die because I felt my arm was about to rip like out of my body. It was horrible,” he said. The vicious attack caught the attention of Shawn Hillan. Hillan told CTV News he was late for work that morning when he noticed the dog attack in the rearview mirror of his car and jumped out to help. After repeatedly hitting the dog and trying to free the young victim, Hillan ran back to his car and grabbed a snow brush. “I hit it pretty hard in the head with my snow brush, to where my snow brush broke and that’s when the dog backed up a bit and my first instinct was to grab the boy,” said Hillan. Hillan then picked the badly injured boy up over his head to keep him away from the dog who was still jawing at the boy. Hillan said the attack lasted almost 10 full minutes. The dog was gone by the time police arrived on the scene. June 8 to June 11 - The Hunt That same morning, police quickly warned residents of Barrie that the vicious dog was on the loose. Police described the animal as a very large “bully-type dog” with light brown fur, a mastiff head and a red leash around its neck. The search for the dog kept the city on edge as unfounded rumours flooded social media with the dog’s whereabouts and who was responsible. Residents were asked not to approach the animal if they spotted it. Morning of June 11 - The Kill On the morning of June 11, the hunt finally concluded when police located and killed the dog. After days of searching, investigators received a tip around 2:30 a.m. on June 11 that the dog had been spotted near Tiffin Street and Patterson Road. Officers arrived and confirmed it was the same animal that had been on the run for days. Police say initial attempts were made to secure the dog using a dog bolt but proved unsuccessful. Police say the dog became aggressive during the encounter and an officer fired their weapon due to a threat to “immediate safety.” The Aftermath 11-year-old Arthur spent the days following the attack recovering in hospital, from serious but non-life-threatening injuries, before ultimately being released. Despite extensive stiches and three rabies shots, Arthur is on his way to a full recovery. Several days went by before anyone was deemed responsible for the attack. In June, police told CTV News there were no grounds for criminal charges and any fines imposed would have to come from bylaw or the province. Any fines or legal action taken will fall under provincial animal control legislation. Following the fines laid on Monday by Barrie bylaw, Agusto Camilotti, Arthur’s father, tells CTV News he intends to file a civil suit against the man who was walking the dog.
