Ontario dog owner sentenced after 9-year-old girl mauled in Newmarket

Two of three dogs that attacked a nine-year-old girl at a Newmarket, Ont. home in July 2023 as she was viewing puppies for sale with her father are seen in this image.

Police say a Newmarket, Ont. man has pleaded guilty to all charges after his three dogs rushed out of his house and mauled a nine-year-old girl who had come to view puppies for sale.

The girl and her father were visiting the home on Jackson Court, near Davis Drive and Leslie Street, on July 27, 2023 when the three “bulldog-type” dogs escaped their enclosure and attacked.

Police said the girl was seriously injured and transported to hospital for treatment.

Leslie Theodore Kovacs was charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm and three counts under the Ontario Dog Owners’ Liability Act at the time.

In an update on Wednesday, police said that Kovacs pleaded guilty to all the charges and was sentenced to one year of house arrest and 15 months of probation.

Kovacs is banned from owning, keeping, harbouring, or residing in a home with a dog for life and was issued a $5,000 fine.

The dogs were euthanized after the attack, police said.

Kovacs was also found to be in violation of a previously-issued muzzle order by Newmarket Animal Services, according to police.

The animal agency told CTV News Toronto in 2023 that it had issued the muzzle order after a “dog-on-dog” incident in September 2022. The order required the dogs to be muzzled anytime they left the property and tethered or confined by a six-foot fence when on Kovacs’ property.

A spokesperson for the animal agency said at the time that it continued to monitor the situation at Jackson Court after the order was issued when it found Kovacs was “not compliant.”

Police previously told CTV News Toronto that they had investigated at least two other animal complaints at the address, though no charges were laid at that time.

“York Regional Police and Newmarket Animal Services emphasize the importance of responsible pet ownership and the serious consequences of failing to control aggressive animals. The safety and well being of the community remain a top priority,” police said in a statement Tuesday.