Elizabeth Weber remembers the day her cat Nyla was mauled to death by a pitbull.

She remembers the split second the attack occurred, the screams that followed and her frantic bid to clean up the fur before her daughter could see.

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It was Aug. 15 and a man who lived down the road was walking three dogs by Weber’s Heffley Creek home, two of them off-leash. She was in her yard and exchanged neighbourly pleasantries.

“I consider it the opportunity for the dog to let himself in and he pursued my cat,” Weber said.

“I didn’t measure the distance, but I would say it was from here to across the street before he got there. And, then, he bit into her, broke her spine and shook the living crap out of her. As it’s happening, and it only takes seconds, I’m screaming and running. My husband — he’s seen it — is screaming and running. The dog is unresponsive.”

Shaken by the incident, the couple called the City of Kamloops bylaws department to report the dog attack, while learning Nyla had to be put down.

“They said, ‘She’s got too much damage. It’s her spine. She’ll never walk right,’” Weber said.

“And, then, they said, ‘Well, no, it’s not just that. She can’t hold her bowels, she has all kinds of spinal damage.’ So, when you go in, there’s your cat — and, substitute your dog, whoever — and she drags herself to me and you have to euthanize them.”

Four months later, Weber’s grief over losing the family pet has turned to frustration, due to what she believes to be insufficient action at city hall to remedy the situation and protect others.

After the dog attack was reported to bylaws, she learned the dog owner would be fined between $300 and $500 for having his dog off-leash. Nothing, however, would happen to the dog. No conditions would be placed on the pitbull. And, unlike Weber’s pet, the animal would not be put down.

City community and protective services director Byron McCorkell said he met with Weber and reviewed the case, but said the city stands by its decision.

He deemed the situation an “accident,” which would not have happened had the animal been on a leash. Dog owners are required under the city’s Dog Responsibility and Control Bylaw to have their animals on-leash at all times, unless in an area designated off-leash, such as certain city parks.

The city determined the dog owner violated that bylaw and he was fined accordingly.

“At the end of the day, as we explained to her [Weber], our bylaws are for people,” McCorkell said.

“If the person had had the dog on a leash, there would have been no incident, but in frank terms, dogs are dogs. Whether pitbulls, German shepherds or poodles, they will chase cats and, in this incident, it’s very unfortunate. We feel very badly for her family, but at the same time, we don’t just go and euthanize the dog.”

McCorkell said the dog owner was “very remorseful” noting that, in addition to the fine, he paid the Webers’ veterinarian bill, which came in at more than $1,500

McCorkell said the city had no previous history on the dog and, in subsequent interviews, determined it to be a respectful animal.

According to the city’s bylaw, aggressive or dangerous animals are designated based on prior history, which might include having been at large, uncontrollable barking and engaging in dog fights or altercations with other animals.

McCorkell said language in the bylaw could be cleaned up and that the situations are considered on a case-by-case basis. If something happened again with the pitbull, he said the city would likely “step it up another level.”

That answer isn’t good enough for Weber. She believes the city is downplaying the situation and worries about a for-sale sign on the dog owner’s property. New neighbours will not be warned about the incident or dog.

“The fact that this dog can go do this again,” Weber said. “There’s no guarantee at all whatsoever — he can go do the exact same thing to another cat or dog or you on the street — that he will be euthanized.”

The city’s bylaws department received three calls for service in the third quarter of 2019 for reports of a dog killing another animal. McCorkell said one of the dogs was put down. He added that the city has more than 9,000 dogs in its registry, of which a “handful”are aggressive.

Weber is calling on residents to email city council, pushing for the city to release publicly its watch list of dogs involved in similar incidents and to enforce that which is stated in its bylaws.

Otherwise, she said, why should she shovel her driveway or put out her garbage by certain times if bylaws are not enforced?

“My question to council is, why doesn’t it show in here [bylaw] that they have to do a watch list,” Weber said.

“Why doesn’t it show first attack does not count, second attack maybe, has to be looked at?”