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Dog owner says sorry to hero
Lucas MacNeil approached Ken Brodie, 73, after ‘horrific’ attack in park Graeme Wood
Staff Reporter gwood@richmond-news.com
A
s 73-year-old Ken Brodie stood outside his house talking about the injuries he sustained while helping a stranger in a vicious dog attack, a solemnlooking young man from down the street approached. “I’m sorry for what happened, and I just want to thank you for everything you did for my girlfriend,” said Lucas MacNeil on Monday, extending his hand to Brodie. MacNeil is also the owner of the dog in question.
“It’s OK, it’s OK. I’m just glad no one was hurt any more,” replied retired mailman and longtime Richmondite Brodie, who has been hailed by the public as a hero after helping save two women and a toddler from what police called a “horrific” attack by MacNeil’s Rottweilerhusky cross. Brodie was in his backyard garden, next to Whiteside elementary, on Dec. 30 when he heard cries for help from twin sisters Jessi and Kati Mathers, 21, from nearby South Arm Park. Brodie jumped his seven-foot fence and ran to the scene,
where he attempted to remove the dog from the women but was subsequently attacked. “It was like a killing machine,” Brodie told The News. “(Kati) looked like a pin cushion with all the puncture wounds on her lower extremities.” The 80-pound dog, named Yogi, is now in the custody of the Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS) and MacNeil has said he will attempt to prevent his dog’s euthanization. Brodie said he lost a pint of blood from his bite wounds by the time he got to Richmond Hospital. He required eight
stitches. However, Kati bore the brunt of the attack as she distracted the dog from Jessi and her three-year-old son, who was physically unharmed. Brodie said the dog ran between both sisters, attacking them both, however it had pinned Kati down when Brodie arrived. After kicking the dog, it turned on Brodie, who needed to leave the scene and call 9-1-1. Several other people heard the cries and called 9-1-1. A young couple, in the park at the same time, was also reported to have assisted after Brodie intervened. See Rottweiler page 3
BARRY MACDONALD is an author, teacher, and counsellor who will lead you through the corridors of boyhood to make sense of these questions and more. A sought-after speaker, he has presented to thousands of parents and teachers and was also identified as one of 25 Influential People to Watch by The Vancouver Sun.
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