A West 麻豆传媒映画senior is recovering after being attacked and bitten by an off-leash dog.
Gary Cuthbert was on his way home from his routine walk on the trails beneath the Lions Gate Bridge Friday afternoon when the attack happened. A woman pulled up in a grey SUV just after 2:30 p.m. and let her two brown dogs out. The one that wasn鈥檛 leashed lunged at the 82-year-old.
Gary Cuthbert, an 82-year-old West 麻豆传媒映画man, lost a finger tip and has a long road to recovery after being attacked by an off-leash dog under the Lions Gate Bridge Friday afternoon. (Mike Wakefield/North Shore News)
鈥淪he was maybe 30 feet from me. All of a sudden, the dog leaped at me, knocked me down. I put my arm up at my neck to protect myself,鈥� Cuthbert said. 鈥淭he dog then proceeded to chew on my neck, my right arm, I鈥檝e lost a digit on my right hand鈥� It鈥檚 a lovely looking mess, I can assure you.鈥�
Eventually, the dog was called off but Cuthbert was left bleeding. He went home and called 911. By the time police arrived, the woman and her dogs were gone. Cuthbert said he is frustrated that no one else saw what happened.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know who she is or anything about her. I鈥檝e only seen her once before. She seemed quite nice,鈥� Cuthbert said.
Since the attack, he鈥檚 been into the hospital every day for treatment.
Cuthbert said he was feeling traumatized by the event, but he鈥檚 relied on his healthy sense of humour to make himself and others around him happy in the wake of the attack.
鈥淚鈥檓 getting along fine,鈥� he said.
What鈥檚 bothering him more is that he鈥檚 unable to take his daily walks while he recovers.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what hurts,鈥� he said.
West 麻豆传媒映画police are now trying to find the dog鈥檚 owner. Police describe the woman as white, in her 30s with dark hair and a slim build. The Squamish Nation鈥檚 animal control officer is also on the lookout for the dogs.
鈥淲e are certainly hoping we can at least identify the female and determine what, if any, action is warranted. We did a lot of patrols and are continuing to check into things. There is some surveillance in the area associated with the railway and other facilities,鈥� said Const. Jeff Palmer, West 麻豆传媒映画police spokesman. 鈥淎t this point we don鈥檛 have any conclusive information where the dog might be from. Anybody who might have information that could assist in this 鈥� most importantly the owner of the actual dog 鈥� would be helpful if they were in contact with us.鈥�
Cuthbert said he has no intentions of suing the woman, calling the notion 鈥榬idiculous.鈥� And despite being the one sporting the bandages and lost fingertip, Cuthbert said he feels sorry for the dog鈥檚 owner.
鈥淪he鈥檚 going to live with this for the rest of her life,鈥� he said.
But, he added, the dog must be put down.
鈥淣o question about it. When a dog attacks a human, that dog has got to go. You can鈥檛 trust it,鈥� he said, noting the woman who was killed by her own boxer/pit bull-cross last month outside Calgary.
