A little over a week ago we had a dog attack in town. A toddler, aged 2 or 3, was mauled by three dogs as he played near his home. Another child raced and got his grandfather who stopped the attack, and saved the boy.
Having spent a good deal of my adult life policing in northern communities I'm no stranger to these events, they happen on a regular basis. Dogs are a part of life in the communities, and important part of the history and culture. And if have any doubt about how important you only have to look at the energy spent getting answers about the killing of sled dogs up here in the fifties and sixties. A commission, that more than anything else was about understanding. For non-inuit to understand just how important the role of dogs was to the people who depended on them.
Or you can witness the pride and passion that the Pangaggujjiniq Nunavut Quest dog team race brings to the communities of the North Baffin each spring. It is probably the most talked about and anticipated event up here. The race is important as a cultural anchor in these days of change.
But because of the ubiquitousness of dogs in the north there have been attacks (as there are in the south, witness the outcry about breeds like the pitbull when an attack occurs). Too often I've seen the results of children and adults severely hurt or even killed by a group of dogs. They are terrible events.
This one has weighed heavily on my mind. Foremost because of the child. The boy was terribly bitten up. He undoubtably will be facing plastic surgery. He almost lost an eye, and had the attack not been stopped he would have lost his life. He was out playing and will now carry the scars and the trauma with him forever.
But I'm rolling this around in my mind even more, because these were my father-in-law's dogs. Well, two of them were. The third was a stray that was hanging out with his team that I'd run off on several occasions. The night before they were chained up about two kilometres from town, along with Bolt's four pups. We check on them nightly. The two got off their leads, went to town, and along with the stray did the attack.
The one dog, a dog my father-in-law bought from another team, was a cowering timid thing. It would back away to the end of the chain when I'd try and pet it. But the other was Leah's little sister's. A big powerful dog, but in essence a gentle playful pup.
I played with that dog a lot, it bounded with energy and I never saw a hint of aggression from it. It was engaging, and although untrained would easily be led by the collar. Hell, my children played with it. A couple of weeks ago it was off its lead, bounding amongst kids never touching them. It came quickly to my whistle and walked back with me to its spot on the ice. It was playful and gentle, and yet it participated in a savage attack on a little child. Of that there is no doubt.
And that is why this won't escape from my mind. If this is a dog that can do this terrible thing, then any dog can. That the wild in their ancestory must lie in them underneath. Since the attack I look at my children playing with our big gentle puppy, Bolt, and wonder, if the circumstances were just right, what might happen?
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9 responses
There is definitely going to be a difference between a pet and a work dog, not matter what. But you are right I won’t let kids, any kids climb all over Tallinn, because who knows what his breaking point is, we don’t want to find out. The other issue is a dog on it’s own, and a dog packing up with another unstable dog. Throw one unstable dog into a mix of balanced dogs and it sets them all off. Deep down they are animals. I never really realized this until we lived with Tallinn up north. Mainly I say up north because there aren’t the same stray-dog issues down here.
I’m sorry hear about this kid, I’m glad he got away with his life.
I think it’s the pack thing. It’s like people get together and do things they would never dream of doing on their own. I’m sad to hear about the little boy. My Mom mentioned a little boy travelling on her plane to Ottawa last Tuesday that looked like he’d been attacked by an animal. Would it have been the same little boy going to Ottawa for medical treatment?
We had a dog that we rescued as a very young puppy from a family who allowed the children to torture her. She was a gentle soul and loyal as could be. But she had little patience with the children of the family. She would guard against any harm to them but she stayed away from them otherwise. We kept them away from her also and we never left them alone together. She was never violent towards them but no sense being careless. As the children grew up, she befriended them. We never had a real problem, thank goodness. It goes to show that all creatures remember and try to protect themselves from danger. I am sorry for your anguish in this case. I am projecting good thoughts for the little boy also.
Ohhh, this is so sad. I think Jen’s point about the unstable stray, and Morena’s point about pack mentality are great ones.
I also notice that our own dog, Nanuq, has become a lot less tolerant as he’s gotten older. He’s still fine with kids, but whereas he used to love all other dogs, he’s now become unpredictable. Since we found out a couple of weeks ago that he has a bit of arthritis, I consider his chronic pain to be a possible contributor to his behaviour. Anyway, the whole point of that being that behaviour can change with time or other factors.
My heart sure goes out to that family, and to that little boy.
How tragic. I am so glad the boy is still alive.
I have been bitten by dogs on four occasions, and each time I had done nothing to the dog. I am definitely not a dog person at all now.
Were all the dogs involved in the attack put down?
I just stumbled upon your blog and I am excited to have found it. I spend several years in Nunavut and developed an appreciation for and love of the land and its people. I will enjoy following along as you share your adventures of life in the Arctic.
I’m so sorry to hear the story and feel for the boy and his family as well as the dog’s owner.
I agree with the comments about a dangerous pack behaviors particularly when a “wild-card”, like a stray, is put in the mix. The same behavior has been seen of human packs. I can only wonder if the dog had been trained if he would’ve proved the more dominant and forced a different choice.
I wish all involved the best with their healing!
I’ve been delinquent in my commenting replies. Sorry.
To me, the “unstable” dog is just a straw to grab at. The “good boy mixed up in the wrong crowd” of animal attacks. I think that it is easier for dogs to do this when they are packed up without a doubt. They are, after all, essentially pack animals. They are, DNA-wise, wolves, and wolves hunt in pack. What is the trigger? The child running away becomes prey instinctively? The dogs knock down a child in play and that triggers the hunt mode?
@Morena. It may well have been him as he had to travel to Ottawa. There will be some surgeries for him in the future.
@Emma, I suspect, but really don’t know, that this would be less about protection and more of the base hunting instinct in them.
@Kara. Yes, they were all put down.
@Polar Bear. Welcome to the blog. I’m looking forward to following yours as well.
Thanks Dori. I’ve removed the link to your commercial site as I don’t allow those links on my site.