Young girl’s injury at off-leash dog park in Clayton more grievous than what police first reported

Surrey RCMP is now saying that an incident in which a pit bull bit a young girl at an off-leash dog park in Clayton is much more grievous than what was first reported.

Police said last week that a 13-year-old girl sustained “very minor injuries” when a pit bull “inadvertently nipped” her at an off-leash dog park in Clayton on Thursday afternoon and there was “no bleeding.”

That is not the case, police have now confirmed.

“The initial information the media relations unit provided regarding the incident was incorrect, and in fact the 13-year-old girl was injured by a dog in the park, and received a deep wound to her leg which required stitches,” Corporal Elenore Sturko told the Now-Leader on Monday. “Although the RCMP investigation is closed, Surrey Animal Control has an open file looking into this incident.”

So what happened?

“That’s the information it had on the file,” Sturko explained. “I guess the investigator did not know at the time the extent of the child’s injuries when they wrote that and concluded it so then later on the family saw that article and then called us, upset as you can imagine, and let us know that the child in fact actually had quite a serious bite on their leg.

“The Animal Control is looking into it and yes, the girl was actually injured,” Sturko said. “Whether or not it was an accident they’ll have to continue to look into it. The initial information provided to our member was that it was accidental.”

Last Friday the RCMP told the Now-Leader the bite was “accidental” and “not a dog attack.”

A woman identifying as the girl’s mom declined to comment Monday.



tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com

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