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Soccer boss holds olds on
City school principal faces charge of theft
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Sepp Blatter refuses calls for or him to resign presidency as FIFA A rocked by corruption charges es
David Street, 55, is alleged to have stolen a sum of money from Woodlands Secondary School. A3
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The newspaper of record for Nanaimo and region since 1874 || Friday, May 29, 2015
» Animal welfare
LANTZVILLE
Woman says pit bull attack caused death of small dog
Nick Kelly, left, and Brenda Graw recount details from Wednesday evening when Graw’s dog, Rosie, inset, died after an encounter with a pit bull on Hecate Street.
[AARON HINKS/DAILY NEWS]
Neighbour tried to save life of little ‘Rosie’
DARRELL BELLAART DAILY NEWS
N
anaimo’s Brenda Graw remains distraught after her 13-year-old Maltese-poodle cross ‘Rosie’ died following a pit bull attack on Wednesday. The incident took place on Hecate Street shortly after 8 p.m. while Graw walked her two small dogs, just after leaving her Milton Street home around the corner. At the same time, area residents were warning parents to take their children off the street, because a dog with a “reputation for aggression” toward other animals was on the loose. Witnesses said the dog suddenly appeared from the direction of Milton, and it attacked when it saw Graw’s two dogs walking, off-leash. “All I could see was this big dog over top of Rosie,” Graw said. Neighbour Andrea Sawden
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rushed over and tried vainly to separate the pit bull’s jaws from Rosie’s throat. “As soon as I saw (the pit bull), I ran over,” Sawden said. “You could tell the dog was about to attack her.” Blood had pooled on the pavement by the time the larger dog was separated from the smaller one. Sawden drove Graw and her injured dog in her car to a veterinary clinic, but Rosie died before they arrived. Animal control officers seized the larger dog. It is being held at the city animal shelter, where officials confirmed it is a pit bull. “The owner is aware the dog is here,” said Carol Pilkonis, a shelter employee. “I can’t comment any further, because it is still
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under investigation.” Const. Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP said the investigation continues and no charges are being considered at this time. A woman in a nearby yard acknowledged owning the dog, but declined further comment. Graw’s friend, Nick Kelly, usually accompanies her when she walks her dogs, and said if he had been with her then he would have attacked the pit bull. “Pit bulls are bred as fighting dogs,” Kelly said. Sawden, who owns a Staffordshire bull terrier, knows how the class of dogs are portrayed in popular media, and said their negative image is undeserved. Many municipalities now have bylaws to restrict the control of pit bulls and similar breeds, something the B.C. SPCA opposes. “There’s no evidence to show pit bulls are generally an unsafe breed,” said Leon
Davis, Nanaimo SPCA shelter manager.” In the 1980s, Doberman Pinschers were associated with “tough guy image,” tarnishing that breed’s reputation, then in the 1990s “it shifted to Rottweilers, then into the 2000s it became pit bulls,” Davis said. He added any breed can be made aggressive through improper treatment. An anti-tethering bylaw would do more to prevent mistreatment that causes dogs to become aggressive, Davis said. He will soon recommend that approach to Nanaimo city council. Darrell.Bellaart @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4235
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El Nino year may lead to rise in forest fires
Quebec man, 93, was alleged war criminal
Experts say the natural phenomenon has been activated early this year and is predicted to accelerate wildfire activity across the northwest. » British Columbia, A8
A study three years ago alleged Vladimir Katriuk was a key participant in a village massacre during the Second World War. » Nation & World, A7
Local news .................... A3-5 Markets ................................A2 B.C. news ............................. A8
Editorials and letters ..... A4 Sports ................................... D1 Scoreboard ........................ D5
Classified ............................ D7 Obituaries ........................... D7 Comics ................................. D6
District appoints new CAO DARRELL BELLAART DAILY NEWS
The District of Lantzville is one step closer toward a byelection to elect a new municipal council. A special meeting was held Wednesday evening to tackle the issues needed to be address in order to call a byelection to replace the four councillors who have resigned. Jim Dias was appointed acting chief administrative officer to replace Twyla Graff, who also tendered her resignation recently. Dias takes over Monday, and one of his first jobs will be to help in the hiring of a chief electoral officer. “The posting closed last week,” said Mayor Colin Haime. When Coun. Graham Savage resigned Monday evening, it was before those bits of housekeeping could be taken care of, and that left the three remaining seated on council — Mayor Colin Haime, Coun. Denise Haime and John Coulson — one person short of the four-person quorum needed to govern. Coralee Oakes, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, rescued the municipal district by temporarily granting the three councillors quorum status, but with conditions Oakes ordered that council “immediately address” the appointment of staff to run the byelection and an interim CAO. Oakes also urged council to “establish procedure and policies to ensure positive council/staff relations and to have mechanisms in place to deal with issues or disputes as they arise . . . and find mutually acceptable ways to solve those problems.” Haime said a joint application was made with CUPE to take part in a mediation process through the B.C. Labour Board’s Relationship Enhancement Program. Haime said the byelection would likely be held in mid-August. Oakes reminded the remaining councillors not to set any new strategic or policy directions or make any new decisions “that could create legal or financial liabilities” for the district. Darrell.Bellaart @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4235
Crossword .......................... D6 Sudoku ................................. A2 Horoscope ........................ B14
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