The death of a dog in the Lake Laberge area on Nov. 6 has spawned a petition calling for the removal of the canines which attacked it.

The death of a dog in the Lake Laberge area on Nov. 6 has spawned a petition calling for the removal of the canines which attacked it.

"We, the undersigned, are gravely concerned about the aggressiveness and viciousness of the dogs that reside at Lot 1013 Cookies Road,” reads the petition signed by more than 30 past and present residents of the area.

"We are concerned for the safety of people and their dogs who live in the general area. We are demanding the removal of the dogs that belong to the residents of Lot 1013 Cookies Road.”

The document was drafted by Angela Neufeld following the death of her and her partner's dog, Max, while out for a walk in the area. Cookies Road branches off the Shallow Bay Road.

Neufeld said today she was out walking Max and the couple's other dog when she came across one of the residents from the Cookies Road home walking three of their dogs.

Max was off-leash, and as soon as the three dogs saw him, one of them came charging at the 11-year-old canine, the other two also attacking.

The two women eventually got their dogs apart, Neufeld being bitten in the process.

"Max couldn't walk,” she recalled in an interview today, noting that while the other woman offered help, she was furious. Though she didn't want the help, she eventually relented in order to get Max home and then to a veterinarian.

As Candace Stuart, the vet with All Paws Veterinary Clinic, described in a letter provided to Neufeld for her records: "Max had extensive muscle trauma, with puncture wounds to his right front leg, chest, and right back leg.

"Max also had extensive muscle trauma to his left back leg. He was treated for shock and pain and his wounds were treated, but Max died of injury complications less than 48 hours after the attack.”

It goes on to state that the injuries weren't those typical of "dog interaction. In these situations, most negative interaction is posturing and noise making with bite wounds, if they occur being localized to the ruff, ears or face.

"Max's wounds were more consistent with a dog pack attack. His wounds were deep and there was a lot of tissue damage from ‘crushing pressure'. The location of his wounds, to legs and chest, are also more consistent with a takedown approach.”

His death came a decade after Max had joined the family.

"He was total sweetheart,” Neufeld said.

Neufeld was also treated at the hospital for a bite to her right wrist, that required follow-up care due to an infection.

This isn't the first time there's been an issue for Neufeld, with the same dogs who bit her dog last year.

"I regret not being firmer (in the past),” she said, as she also recalled moments when the dogs would appear aggressive even just walking past their yard. At those times, residents of the house would often call them in.

Living at a dead end in the area, Neufeld said, if she wants to walk her dog on the road, she has to go by the property and there are times, such as the Nov. 6 attack, when she meets the animals on the road.

Discussions with neighbours soon revealed others had issues with the dogs as well – issues many have recorded on the comment section of the petition.

"Only a matter of time before these dogs attack a child,” reads one comment by Jessica Flinn.

Johanne Koser stated: "I have changed my walking routine solely due to the aggressive nature of these dogs – I avoid them!

"My daughter is not able to walk with the dogs or alone for fear of attack. Our family has had two different incidents with these dogs with no solution from the owners.”

Allen Lueck, a former resident of the area who also signed the petition, is also among those who have tried to find some solution, but to no avail.

In an interview last week, Lueck spoke of an attack on his dogs in September when he was walking them off-leash. While the other dogs were on chains, they still attacked, with his dogs ending up with minor injuries.

Though he tried to point out the problems to the property owner, Roy Pawluk, who lives there with his daughter and granddaughter, he said Pawluk argued the dogs from his property had been on leashes and had been approached by Lueck's two dogs.

He also noted only one of the three were his, with the others belonging to his daughter and granddaughter.

"Three make a real pack,” Lueck said. "Pack animals will attack.”

While Lueck phoned the RCMP about the situation, his complaint went nowhere as there was nothing outlined in the territory's Dog Act on it, given that the animals were chained.

"I think the act has to be strengthened,” he said.

Neufeld may be getting further ahead. After calling for charges, she said she was told last week by the RCMP that Crown prosecutors may pursue the case.

Evidence shows, she said, that though the dogs were on chains, they may be considered "at large” because the owners weren't in full control of them.

The next step will be finding that the owners knew the dogs were dangerous and didn't take action on that.

Neufeld believes that evidence is there based on all she's heard from neighbours, along with her own experience.

As she waits for word on the criminal case, she is also continuing work on the petition. Only two people contacted to sign it have refused, she pointed out. In one case, the residents stated they didn't want to be involved.

She plans to present the petition to MLA Brad Cathers, with whom she's already spoken about it.

"He was pretty concerned,” she said, noting that he also advised her to bring the issue forward to Community Services Minister Archie Lang as well.

Lang has yet to return her call.

Cathers did not return phone calls from the Star this morning.

Neufeld is also still waiting for an apology from the dogs' owners and for them to pick up a registered letter she sent them so they could pay Max's vet bill.

The dogs owners are not commenting in detail on the Nov. 6 incident or the petition.

As Diane Pawluk, Roy's grand-daughter, explained this morning, the matter is currently with the RCMP, and they have yet to view the petition.

She did describe it as a "really unfortunate,” situation and noted the family has put up additional fencing and has one of the family's four canines in dog classes.

She also said the family is not planning to move anytime soon from the property her grandparents have lived at for 25 years, and the dogs will remain with the family.

"We're going to live our lives,” she said.

The family, she pointed out, is involved with the community, with the canines joining them on trips into town and taking part in Sourdough Rendezvous events like the howling contest, which one of her dogs won earlier this year.

And just as Neufeld and others want to see a stronger Dog Act, Pawluk said she would like to see changes too, including a requirement that dogs be leashed when they are being walked.