A Saint John man who allowed his dogs to run free in a west side neighbourhood last year has been fined $5,000 after admitting to 20 violations of the city's dog control bylaw.

Michael Edmond Kirby, 56, still faces a criminal trial on charges of negligence causing bodily harm after one or more of his six dogs were at large and allegedly bit, or attempted to bite four people in separate instances between August and December 2018.

A young boy is among the alleged victims, court documents reveal.

The boy told police he was walking to his bus stop on Winslow Street on Dec. 12, around 8:15 a.m., when two big, black dogs suddenly grabbed the back of his leg and his arm.

They "kept biting him" and almost pulled him to the ground, says the information sworn by an officer to obtain a search warrant for Kirby's home.

"It hurt" and the boy "started screaming."

The dogs ran away but came back and bit the boy's ankle.

He suffered six or seven bite marks to his legs, ankles, back and arms, before a girl came along in a car and the dogs ran away again, according to the documents.

A man was allegedly attacked on Winslow Street the same morning, while walking to Tim Hortons.

The two dogs he described as being a mix of black Labrador and Rottweiler, each "got a leg" and "backed him into the bushes," the information sworn by Const. Neal Fowler states.

The man wasn't sure how long the attack lasted. It felt like three or four minutes before a woman came and helped scare the dogs off, he told police.

"If it wasn't for that woman, the attack would have been bad," he said.

Dogs supposed to be muzzled

Kirby was under a court order at the time to keep his dogs on his Winslow Street property unless taking them out one at a time for a walk, leashed and muzzled, the documents indicate.

Police responded to the scene after a witness called 911 to report "there were two big black dogs attacking people" in the area.

The dogs were traced to Kirby after a silver van registered in his name stopped to pick up the dogs, the documents state.

Kirby was arrested at his home for allegedly failing to comply with the court order to keep his dogs on his property, which was issued less than three months earlier in connection with the bylaw offences.

According to the court documents, Kirby told police he went to McDonalds that morning and when he got home, he found the door ajar and two of his Louisiana Catahoula leopard dogs — Alise and Frank — were missing.

'Problem dogs'

Louisiana Catahoula dogs are a muscular working breed originally used to hunt wild boar in the Catahoula Lake region of Louisiana.

Alise and Frank were involved in a previous alleged attack together and Alise was involved in another alleged attack alone, Kirby told police.

"These two are clearly problem dogs," he said, according to the documents.

Alise and Frank were from the same litter and just over a year old. They weighed about

70 to 80 pounds each.

Kirby had four other dogs, which were all about the same size — two "older" Louisiana Catahoula leopard dogs, named Danny and Georgie, and two Lab-mix dogs he was fostering, named Diamond and Mercedes, which were both about three years old.

Two days after his arrest, as police and SPCA officials were preparing to seize the dogs, Kirby called police from jail to advise them he had guns and ammunition in the house, according to the court documents.

Shot dog that attacked him

He had the guns "due to the incident in 2015, where he had to shoot one of his own dogs as it tried to attack him," the documents state. "He therefore keeps the guns close at hand.

"He also stated he keeps his dogs sectioned off in different parts of the home, so he keeps these guns at hand in case someone breaks in through a room not occupied by the dogs."

An antique 303 rifle was "likely leaning against a wall, and may not have a trigger lock on it," according to the information to obtain a search warrant. "He could not remember for sure whether or not the bolt was pulled back on it."

A shotgun he believed did have a trigger lock on it was in a canvas duffel bag, he said.

Police obtained a search warrant and seized the guns and ammunition.

Kirby has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges but pleaded guilty last month to 10 bylaw offences of failing to license his dogs and 10 of failing to prevent them from running at large. About 10 other charges were withdrawn.

Dogs 'disposed of'

On Tuesday, Saint John provincial court Judge Marco Cloutier sentenced him to the minimum $250 fine on each count, as requested by city prosecutor Orlando Linares.

Kirby, who represented himself, had argued the fines should be waived because he had voluntarily surrendered his four Louisiana Catahoula leopard dogs to the New Brunswick SPCA last December.

"I happily signed an order to have them disposed of," he told the court.

Kirby said he also surrendered two foster Lab-mix dogs, which he believes were destroyed as well.

According to the court documents, Kirby told officials he was fostering the two dogs for a woman from Toronto whom he knew only by a first name and whose phone number had since been disconnected.

When the judge offered Kirby an opportunity to express remorse for his infractions, he responded that he pleaded guilty based on the wording of the bylaw.

"I wasn't opening my door and letting my dogs run at large," he said.

6 months to pay

"You pleaded guilty, you admitted the facts. You're trying to backpedal a bit," said Cloutier.

"The purpose of this hearing is for this court to determine what's a fit and proper sentence. With all due respect, if you want to use this hearing to give an education seminar — to use your words — to the average citizen of Saint John, you're knocking at the wrong door."

Kirby has six months to pay the fine. He told the court he has "limited ability to pay."

In the event he fails to pay the full amount, a default hearing has been scheduled for April 17.

While awaiting trial on the criminal charges, Kirby remains under a court order not to possess, acquire, own, co-own or have control or custody of any dog or to have any contact with the four alleged male victims.

Criminal trial set for next July

He is also under house arrest, allowed to leave only for work, medical or legal appointments or for personal reasons on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between noon and 4 p.m.

Kirby has elected to be tried by judge alone on the four charges of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and one count of breaching a court order to keep his dogs on his property.

The alleged offences occurred on Dec. 12, Sept. 2 and Aug. 22.

His trial is scheduled to be held on July 6 in Court of Queen's Bench. Five days have been set aside.

Indictable criminal negligence causing bodily harm carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.