SIX NATIONS — A Six Nations man is now recovering after being viciously attacked by a dog while walking down Sixth Line.
On Saturday, Daylan Sandy, 28, was walking along Sixth Line when a large dog, believed to be a Bull Mastiff, broke free from its restraints and attacked him.
Eyewitnesses say the dog was being chased and called back by its owner prior to the attack. The dog owner was unable to stop the dog and when it caught up to Sandy, gnashed its teeth onto his right leg bringing the 5’8” 217lb man to the ground.
The dog ripped and tore the man’s flesh, separating his muscle away from his leg, exposing the bone. The wound left a large laceration, about 9 inches long, requiring 18 stitches to close.
He is now undergoing a series of rabies vaccinations. It is not yet known what long-term damage he sustained in the attack.
The Sandy family and area residents say this is not the first time the dog broke free from its restraints. One person reported the animal attacked a small dog in the neighbourhood in a similar attack.
Now they fear the dog may attack again.
“He tasted human blood now,” said Daylan’s father, Johnson Sandy,” “Imagine if it was a little kid walking by. If they were shorter. It could’ve killed him.”
Neighbours estimate the dog to be between 120-150 lbs.
Animal behaviour expert Dr. Richard H. Polsky of Animal Behaviour Counselling Services says the Bull Mastiff breed are known to be aggressive, especially when not properly trained, socialized, or neutered. “If the animal is obtained from poor breeding lines, chained for long periods of time, and of the male gender — it can be extremely dangerous and difficult to control by the average dog owner,” says Polsky.
One neighbour told TRT the dog is a grave concern for area residents. They believe the animal in this case is severely neglected; living in a makeshift doghouse built out of wooden pallets, sleeping on a discarded mattress in the middle of a field with no shade — sometimes without food and water.
Johnson said the dog is known to be aggressive — and said others in the area reported it growling at children who were gardening earlier this spring, trying to break free from it’s restraints.
Johnson said he called Six Nations Police and a neighbour contacted Six Nations Animal Control to report the attack.
Six Nations Deputy Police Chief Dave Smoke told TRT officers responded to a residence on Sixth Line to investigate a reported dog bite. However the police report had inconsistent details with the family’s account — noting the victim suffered a bite on the left leg, not the right leg. And that when officers arrived they did not see the injuries Daylon had sustained in the attack as he had already been taken to Brantford Hospital for treatment.
“Police follow up revealed that the dog had gotten its yearly shots on May 27th, and when directed to quarantine the dog, the male owner complied,” wrote Smoke in an email to TRT.
The Sandy family says Six Nations Police did not follow up with the family after the incident to confirm the gravity of Daylon’s wounds or to inform them if the dog had rabies shots. Nor did they let the family know if the dog would be destroyed.
Johnson Sandy says it was two days before the family heard any updates from police, and only after they reached out to Six Nations Elected Councillors to advocate on their behalf for a response.
When they discovered the dog was not going to be destroyed but was put on quarantine for ten days they were upset. “That dogs gotta get put down,” said Johnson. “We’re just so worried that the dog is going to attack a child. If it had gone after a child, they would’ve been mauled to death.”
Neighbours in the area also expressed frustration with the way the situation has been handled – leaving them feel unsafe.
Neighbours said when they initially contacted Six Nations Animal Control, they informed them there was nothing they could do about the animal unless directed by Six Nations Police. When area residents spoke to police, they say they were told there was nothing the police could do because it was a civil matter.
One concerned neighbour told TRT “We asked the police what we should do if it comes back around here and they said ‘you know what to do’”.
Sandy says the entire situation has left him frustrated with the lack of community by-laws and enforcement to protect the public. “Somethings gotta be done on this reserve. There’s all these dogs running wild. In this day and age, we don’t need all kinds of dogs running around here. It’s not the 1800s.”
Area residents say they are now gathering signatures on a petition for Six Nations Police and the Elected Council to see the animal destroyed.
Ed note: TRT learned late Tuesday that the Sandy Family was informed by Elected Council members the animal was impounded by Six Nations Police and Animal Control where it will be held for a ten-day quarantine. A final decision on how to proceed with the animal after the quarantine is pending.
