Due to the high emotion and interest involved in this story, we have decided to run the statement in full, unedited.
BayToday will update. Efforts are underway to get reaction from the police, health unit and dog owner.
DOG BITE INVESTIGATION RESPONSE
The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit has received multiple inquiries regarding the investigation of Dunaj, the Doberman.
Since the dog owner, Mr. Rob Szalas, has made his name widely known to the public, the Health Unit is reassured that we have not breached his privacy and therefore can now make a limited response.
To date, much attention has been paid to the status of the one dog bite victim and the details regarding that bite.
In fact, the Health Unit was in receipt of and investigated four dog bites prior to the decision being made to have the dog removed from the owner and euthanized. Each of those four dog bite investigations were reviewed with Mr. Szalas and written confirmation of his awareness was provided at the time of the investigations. He did not appeal any of the four notices. The victims ranged in age from 20 to 64 years of age over a period of 20 months. Since the breaking of this story in the media, further victims have come forward and their reports are being investigated.
Following Tuesday’s prehearing, both parties have agreed to the following:
• Pending the hearing, Dunaj will be released to his owner, Mr. Szalas, at his residence under strict confinement orders to ensure the safety of the public. The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit is satisfied that the terms will be complied with, failing which the application will be dismissed and the dog will be destroyed.
• Due to witness safety and death threats received through social media, the hearing will be conducted in writing and documents will not be available to the public. Death threats to the victim(s) have been reported to the North Bay Police Service. For that same reason, the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit has not disclosed the names of all victims to the public.
The Applicant has now agreed to file proper materials supporting his Application within certain deadlines. This allows the matter to proceed.
In 2014, the Health Unit has investigated just under 400 animal bites. Our mandate is to protect the public.
We seek solutions in order to avoid these types of orders. We are very empathic to the dog and his owner; however, following multiple bites we must act to ensure public safety.
Please note, the North Bay Humane Society did not make the decision to confine the animal but has assisted to provide a safe environment for Dunaj while his owner waits for his hearing.
The Humane Society is a valued community partner. The Health Unit respectfully requests that the public not condemn them while they are providing a public service at our request.
