THUNDER BAY — A six-year-old girl has been left with scars above her right eye, lacerations to the top and back of her scalp, and scrapes on her foot after a dog mauled her outside of her Wiley Street home.
Her father is enraged that the owner of the dog that allegedly attacked his daughter, Willow Royer, fled the scene with her dog, which was on a retractable leash, instead of stopping to help the youngster, who was bleeding and screaming.
The young girl has been left traumatized, afraid for her own two pet dogs to be allowed to wander freely around their Wiley Street home.
“The dog was shaking me like a toy,” said Willow on Thursday, blood still caked in her hair, more than 36 hours after the incident took place, late in the evening on Tuesday.
According to her father, Willow approached the woman, who rounded the corner onto Wiley Street at about 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and asked if she could pat the dog.
That’s when the animal allegedly latched onto her head, its tooth narrowly missing her eye as it clamped down. The woman then managed to dislodge the dog and, video of the incident appears to show her admonishing the dog, threatening not to let it outside for a period of time.
Royer said his daughter was at a sleepover at the next-door neighbour’s place, when he got an alarming phone call.
“We were all sitting in the living room, and our phone rang. It was our daughter’s friend’s mother on the phone screaming and crying, saying, ‘Willow, Willow.’ So, we just jumped up and ran outside and ran over there.
"My son picked her up, and she had blood all over her shirt, she was screaming and crying, and she had blood over her face.
“She said a dog grabbed her and shook and tried dragging her down the sidewalk.”
It’s the unknown woman’s reaction that has left him with more questions than answers.
Royer says he’s seen footage from both neighbours and a nearby business.
“The lady tried grabbing [the dog] off, and then it grabbed Willow’s foot. She pulled it off and started walking this way and just left her there.”
Royer said he’s trying to track down the woman to find out why she didn’t stop to help his daughter and also to make sure she faces any penalties that may arise as a result of the alleged incident.
He stressed he does not wish the woman any harm, adding he also doesn’t want the dog put down.
He posted the video to his Facebook page. He also wants to know if the dog has had its shots.
In the video, the woman calmly walks away, twirling her hair while admonishing the dog.
"You're bad," she said. "Why would you do that? You are not going outside for a while."
Royer initially phoned police after his daughter was rushed to hospital by ambulance and was told, since it was not a criminal incident, to phone the city’s bylaw office.
Royer on Thursday said it’s taken a couple of days, but bylaw has finally gotten back to him and confirmed they are looking into the matter.
“I’m infuriated about it and it makes me angry, and I wouldn’t feel this way if she had just would have stopped to make sure everything was OK, maybe gone to a house and said, ‘Hey, my dog just bit this girl.’ Anything, rather than just leaving her there,” Royer said.
TBNewswatch reached out to the city’s bylaw office and received an email response.
"As the City of Thunder Bay Municipal Enforcement Services is limited on the information we can release due to many factors including privacy laws, I can advise an active investigation is ongoing. I am unable to release any further information." said a supervisor with the city's bylaw office.
TBNewswatch has also reached out to city police.
No charges have been laid in the case.
A GoFundMe has also been established by the girl's mother.
