Woman, children hurt in dog attack near primary school

A dog attack near Bay Primary School in Bayville, St Michael, on Wednesday left a woman and three children injured and shaken, as police investigate ownership and potential negligence of the involved animal.
Barbados TODAY has learned that the incident unfolded when the dog turned on the woman after passing her on the street. The woman reportedly fought off the animal and was assisted by a passerby who used a heavy rock to stop the attack.ct

A witness, who wished not to be identified, said the dog then chased the children, but the Good Samaritan intervened again until the dog eventually escaped.

Police spokesman Inspector Ryan Brathwaite confirmed that the incident occurred around 3:05 p.m., moments after the end of the school day.

“A lady and three children were walking along Bayview when they were approached by a dog,” Insp. Brathwaite said. “She said that the dog attacked them. They ran, they fought off the dog. They managed to escape.”
He explained that the victims “were treated for the injuries at a medical facility” and that “they had abrasions but no dog bites”.

“They were running, fell, and as a result they got some abrasions on their hands and knees,” he added.

“The dog was captured and taken to the RSPCA [Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals],” said the police spokesman who confirmed that officers are investigating the incident.

The incident sparked an animal welfare campaigner’s call for pet owners to assume greater responsibility for their animals and for stricter enforcement of the law.

“We need to understand how the dog was on the street,” said Gail Hunte, founder of Action for Animals Barbados. “If the dog escaped from somebody’s garden, that’s a completely different scenario in terms of who to prosecute, because sometimes you can’t control if a dog escapes. You also can’t control if a dog bites.”

But she said if the dog was deliberately allowed to roam, that would be a clear violation. “If it’s a case where somebody let their dog out for a stretch of the legs, that’s a completely different ball game,” she said. “Letting the dog out for a stretch of legs is against the law in Barbados. All dogs are supposed to be with a responsible owner and should be on a lead. No dog should be roaming.”

Hunte stressed that the matter must be investigated to determine ownership and possible negligence. “The number one thing is why was the dog loose? Does it belong to anybody? If it’s a stray or abandoned dog, that speaks to another issue — why are people dumping their dogs?” she said. “Dogs shouldn’t just be dumped because you can no longer afford to keep them. They should be handed into the Animal Control Centre or a local charity.”

She pointed out that under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the police and Animal Control Centre can investigate and determine whether negligence occurred. “If it’s shown to be the owner’s negligence — in other words, they let the dog out — then the police will need to investigate that,” Hunte noted. “A decision would have to be made if the dog is dangerous, if it needs to be euthanised, or if it can be rehabilitated.”

Hunte likened a dog’s reaction to a human’s in seeking to explain the circumstances that could lead a dog to bite: “It depends on the circumstances. It’s like human beings — we could lash out at somebody out of fear, or it could be that if the children are running and screaming, the dog could respond to that. It’s called prey drive. The dog sees the child as prey, and the faster the child runs, the faster the dog chases.”

“No dog should ever be in a situation where it can bite a child. Dogs should always be with a responsible human. So it goes back to the question — whose dog is this, how did it get out, and why was it on the street?”

(LG)