'I trusted him': Richmond Hill woman devastated after owner of dog that attacked hers goes silent

Attack left Buddy, a Shih poo, bleeding with deep gash, holes on back

Yorkregion.com
June 22, 2023
Melissa Wallace

On May 10, Richmond Hill resident Jie Sun took her dog, Buddy, for an evening walk after work at a trail near the Tower Hill Dog Park. Buddy is a nine-year-old shih poo, a mix between a Shih Tzu and poodle.

As they reached the north end of the trail, an unleashed brown dog that Sun said looked like a type of bulldog approached Buddy, who was leashed. She spoke briefly with the other owner, a woman who looked to be in her 20s, while keeping an eye on both dogs.

Suddenly a huge, grey dog that Sun describes as taller than three feet ran to Buddy. She said the dog had a leash, but no one was holding onto it.

“It happened quickly,” said Sun, of the attack. “All I could see was a blur of brown and grey moving rapidly in front of my eyes.

“I could hear Buddy crying and me and the lady screaming,” she said. A man who looked to be in his 20s or 30s ran to them and dragged both dogs away, she said.

Sun ran to Buddy, shaking, and she said the young lady kept apologizing. “I recall shouting, ‘He’s bleeding! He’s bleeding!’ because I saw the blood dripping on the road.”

The man came over, looked at Buddy, and told Sun to get him to a doctor.

Sun hadn’t brought her purse, and she and Buddy were a 20-minute walk away from home, so the man gave her a ride home and then to Tower Hill-Bathurst Animal Hospital while the female owner cared for both of the other dogs.

“The man said, ‘I’ll cover the surgery and you worry about the dog,’” said Sun. “And I felt so grateful, and I trusted him.” He gave her his business card and told her to keep him informed.

Buddy had a deep gash from the top of his left shoulder down toward his belly. The length of the stitches was 5.75 inches, and Sun notes that Buddy’s height from shoulder to floor was only 13 inches. He also had three holes on his back that got infected over several weeks.

The cost for surgery and followup treatments totalled $2,226, though she asked the owner for $1,500, as he had claimed the day of the attack that he didn’t have the money at the moment. The last time the male owner responded to Sun was May 15. She posted a message on social media in June to share her story and ask for help about what she should do.

In response to YorkRegion.com, Don Guy, manager of bylaw education and enforcement, City of Richmond Hill, said pet owners who do not leash their dogs or pick up after them can be fined $485.

“Richmond Hill residents can report any dog attacks to Vaughan Animal Services (VAS),” he said. “They also conduct patrols of Richmond Hill city parks in response to complaints from the public.”

VAS can be reached at 905-832-2281, toll-free at 1-855-227-7297 or by email at animal.services@vaughan.ca.

Sun filed a report with VAS and they are hoping someone may have captured a license plate of a white, four-door sedan near the park on May 10 between 6:20-6:45 p.m., as the male owner is not responding to their calls.

Buddy is recovering, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Peter Piotrowski and hospital staff, but treatment and recovery took 21 days.

“I don’t want the other owners’ dogs taken away from their home because I don’t want to see more animals end up in the shelter,” said Sun, who had adopted Buddy and two cats from a shelter. “It’s really sad to me seeing animals that don’t have homes.

“To me, even though the other owner is keeping silent right now, I still feel grateful that when it happened, he didn’t run away. I think he is a good person inside, but both owners neglected their responsibility to control their dogs, and I want to prevent such incidents from happening to anyone else.”