Two North Bay dog owners charged after man attacked

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Two dog owners in North Bay have been charged after a local man was attacked on Algonquin Avenue last week.

It happened around 4:45 p.m. April 29 when a man and woman were sitting on the steps of an office building in the 1200 block with their two small dogs, Const. Merv Shantz of North Bay Police Service told CTVNewsNOrthernOntario.ca in a phone interview Thursday morning.

Despite being on leashes, the dogs attacked a man as he approached the building, causing him to fall to the ground.

“The owners of the dogs were able to gain control of the dogs,” police said in a news release.

“The victim later received medical treatment for his injuries.”

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Neither the dog owners nor the victim are known to each other.

The dog owners have been charged with failing to prevent their dog from attacking under the Dog Owners Liability Act.

“Dog owners have a legal responsibility to exercise reasonable precautions to prevent the dog from attacking or biting a person or other domestic animal,” said Insp. Jeff Warner.

“The owners can be held accountable with fines upwards of $10,000, jail time or both, depending on the extent of any injuries caused. They may also face civil litigation from the injured party.”

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Like in most cities, dogs are not allowed to run free in North Bay.

“Dog owners are reminded that the injuries caused by a sudden attack can be severe and result in lifelong trauma for the victim,” Warner said.

“Dogs should be kept under control at all times.”

The two dog owners in this case are scheduled to attend court at a later date.

Ten days prior to the attack on Algonquin, North Bay police had to shoot a large aggressive dog that was attacking people at an apartment complex and pepper spray proved to be ineffective.

Watch video on that story above.