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OSHAWA -- Just two weeks ago, Greg Gorham and his girlfiend Tammy McCabe were elated after bringing home a tiny, border collie puppy.
On Monday night, the Oshawa couple held a funeral for the dog, named Sam, who died after he was brutally mauled by a pit bull Saturday night.
"Even though we only had him for two weeks, we got attached to him, he was our boy," Mr. Gorham says. "All I keep thinking is, what if that had been a child?"
Ms. McCabe took Sam out for a walk around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, near the couple's home in the Park Road and Bond Street area.
She says the pit bull came out from behind an apartment building and attacked without warning, latching onto Sam and shaking the tiny dog. When she tried to rescue the puppy, Ms. McCabe was bitten on the arm and scratched.
"I was screaming and crying out there for about five minutes before the pit bull's owner came out," she recalls. "He had to hit the dog and punch it before it finally stopped."
Sam was rushed to the vet, where he later died, while Ms. McCabe was treated in hospital for her injuries.
Mr. Gorham says this isn't the first time he's seen a pit bull off leash or unmuzzled in Oshawa, and wants to know why tough provincial laws introduced two years ago in August, don't seem to be enforced.
"It's just unreal when you see these dogs running loose in the park or out on the street," he said.
Kathy Duncan, the City's manager of Animal Services, says pit bull laws are enforced.
"People call us if there's a violation, we come out and conduct an investigation, and if there is enough evidence we will lay charges under the Dog Owners Liability Act," she says.
Ms. Duncan said Animal Services is handling this incident, but couldn't comment on specifics.
The provincial government introduced legislation on Aug. 29, 2005, that prohibits people in Ontario from owning, breeding, purchasing or importing pit bulls and certain other, similar breeds.
Because the law is grandfathered, pit bulls born before Oct. 29, 2005 can remain with their owners, but must be spayed or neutered and leashed and muzzled at all times when off their owner's property.
Those found guilty of violating the law can have their pets seized and euthanized, or face fines of up to $10,000.
While pit bulls have received a lot of attention since the provincial ban was implemented, Ms. Duncan says the statistics don't point to them posing a higher risk to the public, than other breeds.
"Of all the bite reports we get, we don't see a predominantly higher level of pit bull reports," she said. "They're in the media more, you don't hear about the golden retriever that leaves someone with hundreds of stitches."
According to Durham Regional Police spokesman Sgt. Paul McCurbin, the pit bull involved in this incident will be quarantined for 10 days, before being put down.
At this time, he said no charges have been laid against the owner.
If you see a pit bull off-leash or unmuzzled, contact Animal Services at 905-723-3488.
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