Neighbours were thanking their lucky stars that Diane Chaboyer was with the group of children waiting for the bus last Wednesday morning, when the Sun Country Trailer Park resident fended off a dog attack that left two kids with bite marks and bruises.
“I walk every day, I never miss a day,” Chaboyer said, adding that she or her husband always take the children to the bus stop to keep an eye on them. However, on that sunny and bright morning, the kids all seemed well-behaved and calm. Then she heard someone shout a warning to run, and looked to see a dog sprinting at the children, jumping and attacking them. She ran her children to a pole and stood in front of them.
“I’m watching and I’m screaming,” she said, describing the kids falling over as the dog bit at them. She was reaching out to one boy running towards her, but the dog bit at him and held onto the eight-year-old.
“I kicked it three times, and it didn’t let go,” she said, adding after the fifth kick, the dog finally let go of its hold on Karl’s winter parka.
The dog also attacked seven-year-old Isabella, and when Chaboyer saw one of the little girl’s blonde hair running red with blood, a fright went through her.
“I stood up like a bear and roared as hard as I could,” she said – it was a response that finally seemed to connect with the dog, which growled at her. Somehow, as Chaboyer held her ground, she backed the dog closer to its property and its owners. By the time RCMP arrived in response to the incident, the dog was back in a secured area.
Nicole Mountain’s three kids were among those waiting for the bus, and she described hearing “chaos and screaming” from outside, running outside to find Chaboyer hysterical, and describing the dog attack.
When Mountain checked her son Karl’s shoulder, she saw the injury from where she said the dog had bitten through his coat.
“I was in shock,” she said, adding her son was bawling.
“He’s so spooked, he’s just so fearful,” she said, explaining that it was a totally unexpected event, but now, she worries each morning about having something similar happen again. “As a mother, it hurts my heart.”
However, at the end of the day, she said she was glad her son was OK, something for which she gave credit to Chaboyer.
“I am so thankful she was there, because I don’t know what would have happened if she wasn’t,” said Mountain. “I can’t thank her enough for her heroism. She did what she had to, to protect the kids.”
Barbara Smith’s seven-year-old daughter Isabella was left with bite marks on her head and bleeding from her nose.
“It was terrifying; it happened all so fast,” she said, adding her daughter will not go outside without one of her parents now and that she believes a dog that attacks without provocation should be put down. “No kid should be terrified to go out into their own yards without being afraid the dog is going to get out.”
The owner was issued a County of St. Paul bylaw (3.8.1) ticket and is either required to attend court on May 4 or plead guilty and pay a $250 fine, according to St. Paul RCMP.
“The dog will remain with its owner until testing is done by Alberta Health to determine if the dog has rabies or any other infection diseases,” stated Cpl. Ron Bumbry, adding that SPCA Alberta was contacted about the situation but is not investigating at this time.
Chaboyer expressed her personal wish to see the dog assessed by a vet or Alberta SPCA, to see if he posed a threat to children, to prevent such an incident from occurring again.
“It might snap again – and an adult might not be around,” she said.
As for her neighbours’ gratitude, she said she responded “like a mother would. I will do it again if I had to – I hope I never have to.”
