DogsBite Blog ::

Man charged in fatal pit-bull attack on dog

Man Charged in Fatal Pit Bull Attack on Dog
Toronto Canada - Nineteen year old Mike Matuszewski, will appear in court next week on charges that his three pit bulls killed a woman's dog last year.

"I miss him so much," Zelda Carruthers, 62, said of her dog Simba. "He was like my child. He was really my only companion."

Matuszewski has been charged under the Dog Owner's Liability Act with three separate offences for each of his pit bulls, including failing to keep a pit bull muzzled and leashed in a public place. Violators can be fined up to $10,000 or be jailed for up to six months said Wendy Raike, a supervisor with Animal Control.

"In this case, because of the number of charges, the accused could be made to pay as much as $90,000 and/or face 18 months in jail," Ms. Raike said. "That isn't likely to happen, but it's up to the courts."

Ms. Carruthers is pursuing a lawsuit against Mr. Matuszewski and his family. Her lawyer, Brian Goldfinger, is seeking $1-million in damages for his client. He claims Ms. Carruthers has been unable to work or function normally since the attack. "This was her therapy dog," he says. "He meant so much to her."

On May 27, 2007, Ms. Carruthers was walking her American Eskimo dog. As they came around a high hedge of bushes, they encountered the three pit bulls owned by Mr. Matuszewski. The dogs were not muzzled or leashed. The three pit bulls then "launched a vicious and unprovoked attack on Ms. Carruthers and Simba, causing them injuries and ultimately resulting in Simba's death".

Pit bulls have been banned in Ontario since November, 2005. Dogs that were in the province before the ban may be kept, provided the owner has them sterilized. They must be leashed and muzzled at all times when in public.