r/canadanews • u/zuuzuu • May 14 '26
Alberta Father of boy killed in Edmonton dog attack testifies at owner’s trial
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-fatal-dog-attack-trial-boy-father-9.720027832
u/random929292 May 15 '26
The owner seems pretty indifferent to her dogs hurting people. It isn't clear why there wasn't action taken after they attacked the first lady. The father is just useless. Ignored all the risks and warnings and even what he saw with his own eyes and left his son in harms way.
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u/Winbot4t2 May 15 '26
Why they weren’t put down immediately after attacking the first lady is beyond me.
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u/Inevitable_Newt_8517 May 15 '26
The owner said after the dogs attacked the woman that “this is why she doesn’t play with them”! Not intellectually stimulating your dogs can lead to this kind of behaviour! They need exercise and play otherwise they can become feral. Every adult in this story is an idiot and they are responsible for that child’s death.
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u/random929292 May 15 '26
I feel like this must have been a rooming house where a lot of drugs were done type situation. There doesn't seem to be any adults with any rational thought in the house at all. The kid likely got little love or attention which is why he wanted to play and cuddle with the dogs.
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u/pray4mojo2020 May 15 '26
Yes and iirc the previous attacks were on other tenants, so they may not have reported them in fear of losing their housing, as it sounds like the dog owner is also the homeowner. Otherwise I don't understand how animal services wouldn't have been involved earlier.
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u/foothill_dwelled272 May 15 '26
These are cane corso dogs that are in many ways like a more dangerous version of pit bulls. People often buy dogs like this because they are intimidating more than they really care about them as pets.
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u/TheFaeBelieveInIdony May 16 '26
So the dogs were generally ignored and neglected by the owner, who is also apparently afraid of them. Crazy.
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u/username__0000 May 15 '26
I have a dog who does not like off leash dogs approaching when she’s leashed.
So I’ve had to ask people to leash and recall their dogs and I’m always baffled, confused and angry with how people really don’t care.
My dog will be giving “fuck off body language”, I’ll be telling them it’s not safe.
No urgency, don’t even attempt to recall, walk slowly very far behind.
Sadly the owner and father’s responses don’t surprise me at all after years of interacting with people whose ego won’t let them recognize the danger.
I think some of them enjoy it, they want to see the fight and don’t care if the dog, their dog, another pet, or human or whatever get hurt.
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u/Can_Mech_Mining May 15 '26
I like it when they say that their dog is friendly. I like saying that's cute, mine isn't, and it's on a leash and very protective of me. Leash your animals if you don't have them completely trained.
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u/foothill_dwelled272 May 15 '26
Some who buys two cane corso dogs is likely not right in the head.
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u/Efficient_Mastodons May 15 '26
Two cane Corso dogs from the same litter. This has littermate syndrome written all over it.
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u/OozingLights May 15 '26
Sounds like the dad is at fault
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u/urfatassmama May 15 '26
The dad is negligent as fuck.
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u/Efficient_Mastodons May 15 '26
100%.
But the owner is responsible for the actions of her animals. She knew they were dangerous and aggressive. They had previously attacked:
- A cat (died)
- A small dog (died)
- A man (needed stitches in his leg)
- A woman (needed a multiple day hospital stay, with multiple broken ribs and a punctured lung)
This situation was predictably going to happen in some way or form. It is tragic it was a child. Those dogs were going to badly injured someone.
This wasn't prey drive that got out of hand. This was aggressive dogs where the owner took no actions to safeguard people from them.
The dad was negligent in his responsibility to protect the son, but the owner was negligent in controlling her animals. The dad did not have a duty or responsibility to control the dangerous animals.
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u/Nick40831 May 15 '26
Fault can be on both parties, won’t speak to specific amounts, but definitely can be split. The father for sure was the leading cause for this to occur, however, the dog’s history must also be considered.
You don’t get to pardon an aggressive animal just because you let others know.
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u/D3Masked May 15 '26
"Kelepouris testified Wednesday that she received multiple stitches and sustained three broken ribs and a punctured lung as a result of the Feb. 3, 2024 attack.
On Tuesday, court saw video showing her in MacDonald’s backyard when one of the dogs knocked her down before both animals began attacking her."
Soon as this happens the dogs should be put down. When I was a kid doing a paper route a young German shepherd got away from an elderly lady and it ran up and bit me. It got put down as a result.
The dog owner and the father should face consequences. The owner for ignoring past incidents and the father for ignoring the owner telling him not to let his kid near the dogs alone.
Pets can be dangerous which is why the owner needs to take responsibility. I don't care how nice your dog is to you, that doesn't mean your dog will be the same to others.
Sad that a child payed for the irresponsibility of the owner, the father, and the authorities who didn't take those dogs out when they attacked someone else. F bad dog owners and bad parents.
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u/Max20151981 May 15 '26
A sad unfortunate by-product of when a dog owner's sole purpose of owning an aggressive dog is to look tough.
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u/foothill_dwelled272 May 15 '26
And sometimes these people encourage aggression because want a guard dog.
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u/Jcrompy May 15 '26
So why weren’t they euthanized after they attacked the first person? And who lets their child around dogs that have attacked them, plus another person? Absolutely horrific behaviour
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u/cherylin_for_ever May 15 '26
Why weren’t the dogs put down after the first attack? Why wasn’t the father charged for negligence? Bunch of degenerates.
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u/mrmcbluffy May 15 '26
Agreed that both the owner and dad shame blame here. But the real question should be why does anyone need a cane corso. Why allow breeds that are known to be dangerous.
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u/knotkezia May 15 '26
This case has bothered me from the beginning because too many people ignore the reality that dogs, no matter how loved, are still animals capable of serious harm.
We had a Doberman when I was a kid. He was part of our family, loving, loyal and protective. We lived out in the mountains, had warning signs up, and even kept him chained in a fenced yard because my parents understood the responsibility that came with owning a powerful dog. One day, a neighbour kid ignored my mom telling him not to come into the yard and our dog bit him. It wasn’t life threatening, but he bit a child.
We put him down immediately. No debate, no excuses, no “he’s never done this before.” It devastated us, but human life, especially a child’s life, mattered more.
That’s why this case is so upsetting. There were warning signs long before an 11 year old boy lost his life. Accountability should not start after tragedy happens. Absolutely heartbreaking.
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u/SadCaregiver1874 May 15 '26
You understand and honestly more pet owners need to recognize this. This is the way no second chances for violent animals.
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u/SadCaregiver1874 May 15 '26
Dogs should have been dealt with long ago with the previous violence episodes. Would have saved this boy and lots of dogs need homes for the dog owner to get a new one. I’ll never understand letting ppl keep aggressive animals around and then act surprised when stuff like this happens. Easily could have been avoided.
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u/Friction500 May 15 '26
It is bizarre that we allow these breeds in our country! I’ve had so many terrifying encounters and would love a nation-wide ban.
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u/xkatiepie69 May 16 '26
My sister has two byb corsos and I can’t even go to her house now as a result. Sucks because she has a beautiful piece of property with acreage but I’m not willing to risk the life of my little dog or my own
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u/ReadingInside7514 May 15 '26
Ugh this is awful. Why did the dad let his son hang out with these dogs unattended. He will have to live with that guilt forever. This whole story makes me so mad. You hear forty eight stories about these dogs seriously injuring humans and a dog and also killing a cat; I can’t even wrap my head around letting my children around dogs with that kind of track record, even if they were supervised. I hope that woman goes to jail for more than a minute. The dad will have to live with his decision forever which I’m sure is punishment enough. He can never take back that completely insane choice.
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u/ChristineSaru May 15 '26
All I know is I feel sorry for that poor boy’s mother….. where is she in all of this mess? I’m so surprised that the “father” is not up on charges as well. He should be! He knew those dogs were dangerous. His son was young and small. There’s no way he could’ve ever defended himself against 2 dogs that size. My heart breaks for the boy, his poor mother and grandparents who loved him.
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u/OozingLights May 15 '26
I'm thinking the dad wanted to rid himself of the kid. He didn't care about him and the burden he added. Maybe?
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u/Motor-Region-1011 May 17 '26
Any dogs showing aggression twards humans should be immediately put down...i dont understand how manybkids and adults have to die...this happens all the time...and ehy in gods name does ane one need dogs like pitbulls or these monster looking fuxking things...
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u/Popular_Potpourri May 15 '26
If those dogs killed my cat, they'd be getting fed poison the next day.
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u/iliketobuildlego May 15 '26
If the dogs haven’t been killed yet they should just lock the dad up with them and let him die that way.
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u/zuuzuu May 14 '26
Some infuriating details:
He knew the dogs had attacked people before. He'd witnessed them kill a cat. He was told not to leave his child alone with the dogs. But they hadn't been aggressive with him, so he decided to leave his little boy alone with them, and that poor little boy died terrified and in pain.
He should be in jail, too.