Young girl seriously hurt after being bitten by loose dog in Scarborough

A young girl is in hospital with serious injuries after being bitten by a dog in Scarborough on Wednesday.

The Toronto Police Service received a call at around 7:15 a.m. about two dogs on the loose in front of an apartment on Midland Avenue near Lawrence Avenue East.

Police officers confirmed the girl was bitten by at least one of the dogs and was brought to a hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Paramedics didn’t confirm her exact age, but it’s believed she’s approximately five or six years old.

Zain Afzal was asleep in his apartment when he said he heard screams below his window.

“They were just screaming for their life. They were just actually screaming. They were terrified, but even after it happened they were still screaming,” he told reporters Wednesday morning.

---

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

---

“Me and my brother ran out and then I guess when we came and the dog [saw] us, he ran away.”

It’s not clear how or why the dogs were loose, and the circumstances leading up to the attack haven’t been disclosed.

The dogs have since been secured by Toronto Animal Services staff. A City of Toronto spokesperson said in a statement the dog was not who have confirmed is not a banned breed.

“This is an ongoing investigation. We are unable to provide more details at this time,” the statement said.

This attack came more than a month after parents of students at Rawlinson Community School near Oakwood Avenue and St. Clair Avenue West were warned about multiple reports of dogs off leashes attacking people after hours on the school grounds. The attacks were described as being mild to very severe.

What to do if you’re injured by someone’s pet?

CityNews spoke with a personal injury lawyer to ask more about the laws governing situations when dog bites occur as well as dog ownership and liability.

Rajiv Haté, a lawyer with Kotak Personal Injury Law, said the first thing anyone should do if they get bit by an animal is to seek medical attention and to call the authorities.

“Second, use antiseptic if you have it,” he added.

“Third, try to obtain the contact information for the owner of the dog or the person who was in possession of the dog.”

Haté said his firm deals with dog bite cases throughout the year, but noted each summer there is a spike in cases. He encouraged people to document and photograph the injuries as well as the exact location the incident happened as best as possible.

In Ontario, owners are generally held liable for damages pets cause to someone. Haté suggested pet owners look into making sure their animals can be covered under home or pet insurance policies to help with liability should there be legal action.

“Damage can be quite substantial. There are some injuries that can be very severe, require surgery, require rounds and rounds of surgery. I’ve seen nerve damage result,” he said.

“That could be more than just a person’s injuries but also income loss if people are unable to work as a result, right, you know some of these injuries can be very serious.”

The City of Toronto has more information on their website about what to do in the case of dog bites or attacks.