Questions remain about how the case of a dangerous dog that attacked two children in Cambridge was handled. The dog, named Vlad, was seized Monday and is now in the care of animal services, but some residents want to know why the police didn`t get involved.
The family of one of the children who was bitten by the dog say they called the Waterloo Regional Police Service, but were told several times it wasn’t their job to investigate.
Police said animal services are responsible for most such cases, but there can be exceptions.
If a dog is out of control and tearing through a neighbourhood, police said that would be a situation in which they would respond. They say there needs to be an immediate danger.
Neighbours who live near Vlad said they’ve been calling police for years, but police said they have no record of those complaints because the dispatcher would likely just tell callers to contact animal services.
But that has not always been the case, according to a retired deputy police chief and current Cambridge councillor.
“When I was a police officer, we had a responsibility. We would respond to dog bite situations and every dog bite was reported,” said Mike Mann.
Mann represents the Preston area of Cambridge where both the recent dog attacks occurred and became involved in this case himself.
“I contacted the police and was told it was not a police issue and that's because the protocol has changed … Police [used to be] involved in notifying public health. Now it becomes another agency’s responsibility,” said Mann.
CTV received a statement from the WRPS which read in part: “Whether the incident is a police matter or not, we continue to work together with any involved community partners to ensure the safety of all parties involved. In this case, that included the City of Cambridge bylaw division and Animal Services Cambridge."
With reporting by Abigail Bimman
