A man was taken to hospital after he was reportedly attacked by two large dogs or coyotes early Thursday morning.
Stratford police responded to a business on Erie Street shortly before 2 a.m.
The victim, 43, told police that he was living in a makeshift campsite in a wooded area near Griffith Road.
"He had cuts and bite marks to his legs and his arms and to his head," explains Const. Darren Fischer with the Stratford police.
When officers found the man's site, they saw his belongings scattered through the area and evidence of the attack. A significant amount of blood was still at the scene Thursday evening.
Later, police had learned that two German Shepherds had been reported missing from an address on Griffith Road the night before.
Police confirmed the dogs were guard dogs for a legal cannabis grow operation. They reportedly escaped by digging underneath the fence. Initially police said that it was possible that these dogs were involved, though it wasn't confirmed.
Just before 3 p.m. Thursday, police said that the owner had found the dogs. It's not clear whether any charges will be laid.
"We had initially presumed that those were the dogs involved, however the dogs have since been located by the OSPCA and they show no evidence of attacking anyone and they're quite friendly animals," Const. Fischer says.
He acknowledges that there are coyotes in the area but that the odds of them attacking a person are low. For now the message is for the public to be mindful of any dogs on the loose and, if spotted, call police or the humane society.
The man is still recovering in hospital, requiring well over 100 stitches. His current condition is unknown.
