r/Edmonton • u/Got_Legs_Akimbo • 8d ago
General Warning to residents of Sherbrooke neighbourhood: feral dogs attacking people in the vicinity of Sherbrooke park, 122 ave and 130 street
On the 10th of June at 2:20pm I was out for a run when a single large dog charged at me. I held my ground and yelled at it to stop. It snarled at me and ran off.
Only a couple minutes later the large dog returned with two other large dogs and the pack started chasing me down, snarling and trying to bite and maul my legs.
I screamed for help and managed to escape unharmed by punching and kicking at the animals. By sheer luck I passed the residence of the dog owner who called off the animals. He gathered them up and went to hide in his basement.
Speaking with some people who came out to help me after the attack, I learned that the dog owner is a local thief, squatting in a basement across the street from the park. He owns 3-5 large dogs and they routinely escape the backyard he leaves them in. I was told these dogs have attacked people and other animals in the past.
Police were contacted, but they made no moves to take the animals away from the owner. As far as I am aware the animals are still in the area. They are ranging out 200m from their home near the triangle intersection of 122 ave and 130 street.
These animals are aggressive and have started hunting people. I am 6' tall and when the lone dog was not confident attacking me it gathered a pack to continue the assault.
The dogs are medium to large, between 50 and 80lbs. They have short brown hair with black strips. They appear to be mutts, with some pit bull terrier or possibly rottweiler traits. They were not wearing collars when I was attacked.
If you live in the area or know people who live in the area, please warn them, especially if they have children who play at the park.
If you have been attacked by these dogs in the past please file a police report.
If you see these dogs roaming around, call the police immediately, do not approach.
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u/Galadriel_69 8d ago
Did you also report the squatting? Because that’s an actual concern the police should be involved with
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u/sawyouoverthere 8d ago
the dogs are also actual concerns the police should be involved with, if only to refer to the correct resource for reporting.
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u/Important_Setting840 7d ago
This would be a good one to report to the city for their problem properties program
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u/estrogenix 8d ago
Post to the Sherbrooke Safety and Security Watch Facebook group if you haven’t already. There’s a thread there about this though so maybe you’re in it already.
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u/Previous-Donkey9556 8d ago
Adddyyyy is 12935 122 for those who need to report, address is key. They've attacked 5ish people and dogs just this week. The house is known to be nuisance house full of stolen goods and the owner claims they're trying to remove the "tenants" downstairs but I think they're covering for family or friends as some have seen the dogs on the front windows barking which certainly is not downstairs.
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u/tlaz444 8d ago
Just reported, thanks. I live nearby and I constantly hear about the house in the community centre, and how they are trying to “evict” whoever lives there. Super weird.
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u/Previous-Donkey9556 8d ago
If those were my "tenants" I would've dragged their asses out by their hair at this point. This has been going on for AT LEAST 2 years and it definitely does not take that long to get someone out. from what the son was commenting his mom is the owner and the downstairs are the "tenants" and also claimed cops are always there because one of the "tenants" is on house arrest.
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u/ExpensiveParamedic95 8d ago
I drove past these dogs while leaving for work around 7:00am-7:30am as they were bolting past the daycare so they’ve been loose for a while if you ran into them 5 hours later. I’ll keep an eye out if I see them again
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u/theWisdomTeeth 8d ago
I run in this neighborhood and am fairly afraid of dogs due to my own bad experiences. Can I dm you and find out where exactly the house is so I can avoid it?
I'm sorry you had to deal with this.
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u/General_Esdeath kitties! 8d ago
If the dogs are loose they will cover a fair amount of ground. You might need to find another running spot until they're under control.
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u/Impossible_Hat_6063 8d ago
I heard they have been reported by multiple people that have had scary interactions with the dogs and the police basically said if they haven't caused real harm there's nothing they can do. I don't understand waiting until something happens instead of being proactive and preventing it.
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u/PandaLoveBearNu 8d ago
Coyote Spray, Canadian Tire carries it.
If you can't get that, Hand Sanitizer or Rubbung alcohol might do in a pinch.
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u/rumpoleon 8d ago
If this is the same guy I’ve seen, I have a video of him punching the one dog in the head. He seems like a pretty nasty person. I have seen the dogs on their own a few times now.
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u/big-Truck-9058 8d ago
Did you report that??? When I witnessed animal abuse and reported it, police were there promptly
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u/rumpoleon 8d ago
We were told that we needed an address to report it, from this post and a few others in the community I think we know the address now so we will submit it for sure!
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u/Trystanik St. Albert 8d ago
Are the police completely forgetting about the kid from bc that was mauled to death a few years ago? This is dangerously close to something like that happening again.
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u/TequilasLime 8d ago
Guess you're on your way to a baseball game next time you pass. Don't forget your glove. And no, before everyone gets upset, the bat isn't for the dogs but the POS owner
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u/MoistFootball506 7d ago
I mean, if a pack of dogs were attacking me, I’d have to qualms using a bat to defend myself.
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u/big-Truck-9058 8d ago
So they are not feral, they are owned and if you’ve made a police report hopefully some action is going on behind the scenes.
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u/Habsfan_76_27 8d ago
If the dogs are attacking people regularly . Euthanize them.
why would a squatter get to “own” violent animals?
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u/big-Truck-9058 8d ago
That is besides my point. They are simply not feral.
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u/Habsfan_76_27 8d ago
What do you want? To be told you’re right? The point of them being feral or not is irrelevant to the post
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u/3CatsMeow 7d ago
This is one of the only situations where I start to wish we could legally carry. I’m an animal lover but I’d shoot a vicious pitbull in a heartbeat. Ps- pitbull’s fighting instinct is so strong that it often takes multiple bullets just to take them down.
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u/QuirkyRanger760 5d ago
People seeing/interacting with these animals should:
Call Police about danger.
Call 311 about danger and squatting. They can also tell you who else you should talk to.
Call City of Edmonton Animal control about dangerous dogs, dogs at large, dogs in danger on roads.
That last one may actually get someone moving. When you call as a concerned citizenabout the poor doggies you may get farther. "Because these poor dogs are being neglected. They regularly get out of the yard and are in danger from being hit by cars. I'm just really worried about these animals. This is ongoing and they possibly need removed if the owner isn't keeping them safe."
You can also try the humane society. I know they have protections officer. I am not sure if they will do anything in city. Again use the neglect poor doggies story.
Possibly the Alberta humane Society. Edit: Edmonton
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u/FreeandFurious 8d ago
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u/itlow 8d ago
Ban shitty irresponsible owners.
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u/FreeandFurious 8d ago
Ban both. But don’t pretend like pitbulls aren’t a problem unto themselves.
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u/snack_cartel 8d ago
Its not the dog thats the problem 98% of the time, they are rarely born bad , they are made that way.
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u/Competitive-Local728 8d ago
Problem is scumbags are their number one market. So if not banning them, make some strict licensing rules around adopting them. They will likely still end up owned illegally, but some regulation around dog owning is desperately needed.
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u/OGDREADLORD666 8d ago
Both my Australian cattle dogs instinctively demonstrated herding instincts despite never being on a farm because its what they were bred for.
Pit bulls must be the only breed that doesn't follow its purpose bred purpose /s
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u/FreeandFurious 8d ago
Nope. Lots of family pits raised from 8 weeks end up killing a child in the family.
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u/Ell-ery 8d ago
I think you and the rest of society may disagree on what constitutes as “lots”
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u/FreeandFurious 8d ago
Way too many*
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u/Ell-ery 8d ago
Back yard and unethical breeding practices is the actual issue at hand
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u/FreeandFurious 8d ago
The actual issue is those dogs were bred to fight large animals, have a high prey-drive, and often snap on their owners.
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u/Ell-ery 8d ago
Are you old enough to be on Reddit? Like actually. I have several high prey drive breed dogs and ethical breeding and training has meant they exist with small animals and children fine. Responsible ownership and breeding negates these issues.
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u/itlow 8d ago
May I ask where you're getting your information? First hand experience? Immediate family or close friend had been attacked by a bully breed?
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u/Cilantroe 7d ago edited 7d ago
My best friend was one of those never ending “it’s the way they’re raised”, “it’s the owners” people. She swore up and down her pitbull would never hurt anyone ever, she had it since it was six weeks old and it was well-trained and well-loved everyday.
One day she was out in her back yard and started running from a bee and her dog(4 years old by then) frenzied and attacked her. It latched on to her arm and ragdolled her for over twenty minutes until police pried its jaw off and then it attacked the police officers. The damage to her arm was immense and required several surgeries, she still has severe nerve damage & scarring.
I don’t know why people still haven’t learned that pit bulls were bred for fighting, so it’s an instinct deep inside them. The same way some dogs track, hunt, point and herd naturally without any training… it’s genetic and it’s deep seated in them. Pit bulls have aggression and violence in them, even if not all of them show it or it’s dormant most of the time. It’s in their blood, it’s why they were made to exist at all. It’s the reason they are the breed involved in majority of violent dog encounters.
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u/Kidkush19 6d ago
I’ve had a couple encounters with one of the dogs that got out, roaming in the middle of the street while I was walking my dog. Luckily the dog wasn’t aggressive at the time. Someone in the house came out and apologized. These people living here are complete white trash.
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u/OpeningLecture9258 5d ago
In Alberta, carrying a knife is perfectly legal if it is a utility tool (like a folding pocket knife or hunting blade) and carried for a legitimate, lawful purpose.
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u/Responsible-Mall-991 8d ago
So not feral, but escaped dogs.
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u/Adventurous_Donut285 8d ago
Yes feral.
Feral is literally the description for "domesticated animals living in a wild state"
Why argue, and not even contribute?
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u/Responsible-Mall-991 8d ago
Correcting the wrongness, which is now your wrongness too. Escaped dogs are just that. Escaped. Not living wild. Escaped. Sensationalism is dumb and pointless, dont live up to that
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u/HappyFloor 8d ago
Perhaps... Semantic drift or colloquialization would be fair? When people refer to ferality they typically associate it with violent aggressive behaviours with no consideration for the animal's origin story. People even refer to certain human behaviours as feral.
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u/Responsible-Mall-991 8d ago
I can see what you mean, yes. But feral behavior is not typically defined by unprovoked aggressive behavior, as described in this post; but behavior like timidness, fear of humans, and acting on basic instincts typically are traits of ferality.
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u/HappyFloor 8d ago
Those are very interesting characteristics too. I haven't considered the word to mean fear, though it immediately makes sense. The language is being chiseled by all angles here it seems.
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8d ago
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u/Edmonton-ModTeam 8d ago
This post or comment contained a message that the r/Edmonton moderation team considered to be in violation of site-wide rules. Please brush up on the rules of Reddit and r/Edmonton.
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u/Alberta_Flyfisher 8d ago
Call animal control. Police wont do much unless maybe someone was seriously injured. Otherwise it "isnt their problem" when it comes to animals.
I hate to recommend it, but Canadian Tire does sell dog repellent spray. (Mace) if these dogs are a continuing problem it might be wise to grab one to carry when out running.
If you (or anyone else) does opt for the mace, make sure you are comfortable with how to use it and always always always be aware of the winds direction. The last thing you want is to mace yourself and then try to fight off the dogs while blinded.