Teen attacked by off-leash dog at Toronto school, community urged to ‘exercise caution’

Parents and students at a west-end Toronto elementary school are being urged to “exercise extreme caution” after a student was attacked by an off-leash dog.

Toronto police say a 14-year-old boy was bit by an unaccompanied dog in the park outside Rawlinson Community School around 6 p.m. on Friday. The school is located in the area of Oakwood Avenue and Rogers Road.

The Toronto District School Board confirms the student was bit in the lip and needed to be rushed to hospital for surgery.

“He’s recovering at this point but will need more reconstructive surgery in the future,” says TDSB Ward 9 trustee Alexis Dawson. “People are afraid.”

She says there have been other reports of aggressive dogs near Rawlinson. Police only have reports of the one attack.

The school says many people in the community use the yard as an unofficial off-leash dog park on evenings and weekends. Dawson believes the problem stems from a lack of available greenspace in the surrounding neighbourhoods.

“This is part of an overarching problem,” she says. “People are taking their dogs off-leash at all times of day. (The school) is the largest greenspace within a 1.2 kilometre radius.”

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Dawson says the board had a meeting about the issue of aggressive dogs before the teen was attacked last week. Students are planning on making signs to discourage dog owners from bringing their pets on site and parent volunteers have gone door-to-door in the area to make residents aware of the problems.

Dogs are technically not allowed off-leash at schools, but Dawson says it is difficult for bylaw officers to enforce since it is TDSB property.

“Although we are public land, we are considered private property,” she says. “We do not have the resources to manage the dog population on our own.”

The letter to parents from the school’s principal says the attacks in the area have been “mild to very severe in nature.”

“I understand there are community members regularly allowing their dogs off leash in our school yard on evenings and weekends, which poses a potential threat to children and adults alike,” reads the letter. “I would like to urge all families to exercise extreme caution when in the vicinity of the school yard.”

The letter to parents provides the following safety tips if people encounter an off-leash-dog:

• Always ask permission from the dog owner before approaching a dog. Not all dogs are friendly and may become aggressive when approached unexpectedly.
• Never approach a dog that is sleeping, eating or playing with a toy. These are all situations where a dog may become defensive and view you as a potential threat.
• Avoid direct eye contact with a dog, as this can be interpreted as a challenge or a threat.
• If a dog is growling, barking, or showing its teeth, it is important to back away slowly and avoid direct eye contact.
• Always stay calm and avoid sudden movements around dogs, as this can startle and agitate them.

With files from Kaitlin Lee