Toronto Woman Wants Justice After Her & Her Corgi Were Bit By An Off-Leash Dog

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A Toronto woman is seeking justice after she and her 1-year-old corgi, Yoda, were attacked by an off-leash dog at a park this week and threatened by its owners.

Shawna Smith, a 25-year-old healthcare worker, finished her late shift this week and headed for an early morning walk on February 8 just after midnight, with her boyfriend and dog, Yoda, at Humber Bay Park.

While they crossed the Humber River Bridge on the Martin Goodman Trail, they spotted a couple with two black dogs, one off-leash and the other on a leash about 500 to 800 meters away.

The attack

"I just saw the off-leash dog running towards us," Smith told Narcity. "The dog came up to us and just started attacking Yoda."

Smith says she tried to lift Yoda above her head to get him away from the dog, but the dog was locked onto Yoda's back leg.

"My boyfriend – thank god he was there, he started fighting off the dog. He had to kick the dog off and was pulling the dog off of Yoda. But then at one point, when he pulled the dog off, the dog came back and was jumping at my face."

Smith says the attack lasted about three to five minutes, but it felt like "forever."

"It bit my face. It was hanging off of my arm, ripped my jacket apart and just kept coming back."

Her boyfriend eventually was able to fight off the dog and brought it back to its owners by its collar, who had watched the attack and allegedly did nothing to recall or stop their dog, according to Smith.

The confrontation

The bad situation quickly took a turn for the worse as the owners of the dog reportedly refused to exchange information.

"All we wanted was their number and for them to accompany us to the vet."

As tensions began to rise, Smith walked over to the couple with Yoda in her arms and told her boyfriend to start filming the altercation.

"They threatened to release the dogs on us and attack us because we were videotaping and called the police."

In the video, one of the owners can be seen holding the lunging dog back before saying, "Sh*t happens at parks."

Smith needed two stitches in her face and dental work from the attack, after the dog knocked two of her front teeth loose and broke off her permanent retainer.

A picture of her injuries can be seen on her Instagram.

Yoda received about $500 worth of veterinary care for pain medication and antibiotics for a wound in his back leg.

Smith says they were lucky that her boyfriend was with them because without him, "Yoda probably would've been dead," and her injuries would have been "so much worse."

Looking forward

Smith says she doesn't want anything bad to happen to the dog. She just wants the owners to be identified and held accountable for their actions.

"The ideal outcome would be that the owners are charged for attempting to use their animals as a weapon."

"I don't believe these people are good owners, and I believe the dogs will be better off with owners that can rehabilitate them and work with reactive dogs."

Toronto Police Service (TPS) told Narcity that the case has been handed to Toronto Animal Services.

TPS says after their investigation is complete, the case will be handed back to the police, who will then lay charges, if needed.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.