A 5-year-old boy was killed after reportedly being attacked by three dogs at a First Nation community north of Edmonton.
The attack took place on March 5, when High Prairie RCMP received reports of the dog attack at a residence on Whitefish First Nation just after 5:30 p.m., police said in a statement.
When officers arrived at the scene, a 5-year-old boy had died with "injuries consistent with a dog attack."
Police believe that three dogs were involved in the attack.
Residents had identified and destroyed two of the dogs that were believed to have been involved in the attack, and police tracked down and killed a third dog.
The bodies of the dogs will all undergo forensic and medical testing.
High Prairie RCMP will be joined by the Western Alberta District General Investigative Unit and Peace River Forensic Identification Section to investigate the incident.
The body of the child has been taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
No charges have been laid relating to the death at this time.
Last year, the City of Calgary applied to euthanize three dogs after an 86-year-old woman in Calgary died following an attack from the dogs. The woman was taken to the hospital in life-threatening condition but later died.
It is important to evaluate and treat each dog as an individual, no matter its breed. To learn more about the physical and behavioural traits and history of pit bulls, we encourage you to consult this breed study by the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare as well as this statement from the ASPCA.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
