Dog quarantined after attacking campaigning St. Catharines councillor

A dog is in quarantine and an investigation underway after St. Catharines city Coun. Joe Kushner was mauled while campaigning in Western Hill.

Kushner was left with bites on his legs and a suspected torn rotator cuff after he was attacked Sunday while going door to door with his adult daughters in the Strada Boulevard and Bascary Crescent area. He didn't see the dog coming.

I went up the driveway. I don't know what happened, I was in shock," Kushner said. A Bullmastiff, they weigh about 120 pounds, attacked me, lunged at me and I fell on my back. And then he started mauling me and I started kicking. I kicked to the best of my ability, but he was still mauling me."

Kushner said the dog was on a chain but he didn't see it when he approached the property because it was behind a cement pillar.

He said the owner pulled the dog off of him and accused Kushner of trespassing.

The owner grabbed the chain and he says, Why were you on my property? Why were you in my lawn?' And I said, I was canvassing.' And he took the dog in the house and then, I was on the ground flat on my back, he came out and he gave me hell for being on his property."

Kushner said he lay there for a while and then got up and walked to the street. A young woman with a baby saw him and brought him to her house to sit down. It turned out she was a paramedic and got her equipment to treat him. Kushner's daughters were at other houses and caught up to him. One is a veterinarian and she helped the paramedic dress his wounds.

He then had to go to a doctor for tetanus shots, antibiotics and painkillers.

Kushner, ironically chair of the city's vicious dog act hearings, was bitten on his ankle and upper thigh leaving holes in his jeans and has pain from the shoulder injury.

He said he's never had an experience like it in 46 years of campaigning.

I'm well aware of the dangers of dogs. Originally when I got on council, Western Hill had big dogs," said Kushner, a candidate for St. Andrew's ward. I would always check the front to see what kind of chain was on the front lawn. If it was a big chain, I wouldn't go near it. So I've never been bitten by the dog while I've been campaigning."

Niagara Regional Police Const. Barry Ravenek confirmed officers responded to the area at about noon Sunday for an animal complaint and spoke with an individual who indicated they approached the door of a residence when a large breed dog attacked. The individual sustained minor injuries.

The NRP turned the investigation over to Lincoln County Humane Society.

Niagara Region Animal Services, an offshoot of the humane society that deals with animal bite investigations, has the Bullmastiff in quarantine for 10 days in case of rabies.

At the same time, it's conducting an investigation into the incident. President Kevin Strooband said the agency learned on scene there may have been a previous unreported case of the dog biting someone.

In order to properly protect the community and the public from this dog, it's ideal that we remove the dog from the situation while we conduct the investigation so we can find out exactly what happened," Strooband said.

Strooband said NRAS is permitted to take the dog but suggested the owner bring the dog to the agency, which was done.

NRAS has 21 days under St. Catharines bylaws to either release the dog or lay an information" under the provincial Dog Owners' Liability Act, which would bring the owner before a justice of the peace to determine if the dog needs to be better controlled or euthanized.

Strooband said the agency does about 12 to 18 dog bite investigations a year in its bylaw enforcement jurisdiction of St. Catharines, Grimsby, Thorold, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Erie.

He said it's important to report dog bite cases, at the very least to the health department. Strooband said St. Catharines is the only city in the province currently with rabies cases in wildlife.

The other side of it, from my perspective running an animal control organization and protecting the community from vicious animals, is if you don't report it, what's going to happen next time?" he asked.

And how are you going to feel if you didn't report that if somebody is severely injured or killed, and you're thinking, Oh, man, I could have done something.'"

Karena Walter is a St. Catharines-based reporter, primarily covering city hall for the Standard. Reach her via email: karena.walter@niagaradailies.com