'Everybody's pretty scared right now': Pit bull seized after two fatal dog attacks in Bedford
A neighbourhood is on edge after a pair of dog attacks that killed two family pets in separate incidents in West Bedford, N.S., over the weekend.
Neighbours say the animals involved were pit bulls.
Halifax Regional Police confirmed the first incident happened around 1:40 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
"A dog had attacked another dog when it came into the back yard where it was nursing puppies. The dog died as a result of its injuries. HRM Animal Services were called and continued the investigation," HRP spokesperson Cst. John MacLeod told CTV News via email.
Police were called back the following day at 7:35 a.m.
"The same dog from the previous incident attacked another dog that was with its owner walking on the side walk. The dog died as a result of its injuries. The dog was taken into custody by HRM Animal Services and they have taken over the investigation." said MacLeod.
The second attack was captured on a doorbell camera in the area.
The unsettling video shows the owner, walking with the toy poodle named Sunny. They stop to converse with another neighbour, when out of the blue, a dog charges into picture and clamps down on Sunny, who died instantly.
"The dog was dead and the owner was just kind of holding him in his jacket, in his arms," one neighbour told CTV News.
Another heard the commotion and bolted outside, eventually coaxing the larger dog to follow him home, but he sensed no aggression from the animal.
"Not really," said the man.
"The dog honestly just seemed scared, and probably instinctually, he's in his primal thinking, right? An untrained dog is going to attack."
Neighbours identify the first dog who died as another small breed named Latte.
HRM provided very few details on the case.
"We can confirm that Animal Services has one dog in custody. Because this is an active investigation, we cannot provide any further details at time this time, or provide an interview," said HRM Public Affairs advisor Klara Needler, via email.
Neighbours, though, were talking Monday.
"It's pretty scary," said one woman.
"You know, this is a sweet, safe family street with lots of kids, lots of animals and everyone deserves to feel safe, but right now, you looked out yesterday, nobody's playing. Nobody's walking their dog. Everybody's pretty scared right now."
"It's always a lively street. It's very family friendly, kids always playing outside," said another.
"We all get along, and it just created an atmosphere of just uneasiness. A little bit of shock for a lot of people."
Neither of the families of deceased pets chose to speak with CTV News Monday, but one neighbour had talked to one of them.
"Their little boys are four and seven, and they went to bed last night without their dog, which is a family member. I have one of those and it's like my little boy. So, nobody deserves that, and it broke my heart for that family, as it did the other family," the woman said.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Widow takes Ontario police to court over declaration misconduct in her husband's death was 'not serious'
A grieving widow is taking the Ontario Provincial Police to court as she challenges its decision to call the misconduct of an officer that contributed to her husband’s death 'not of a serious nature.'
WATCH LIVE Seniors over 87 can apply to join federal dental plan starting next week
Seniors over the age of 87 will be the first cohort that can apply to join a new federal dental-benefits plan, which will be phased in slowly over the next year.
Year in search: What did Canadians Google in 2023?
From the Women's World Cup and Jeremy Renner to the Titan submersible, deadly earthquakes and the war in Gaza, Canadians searched far and wide on Google this year. These are the top queries in Canada for 2023.
Nearly half of Canadians think carbon tax is ineffective at fighting climate change: Nanos
A new survey has found that Canadians are feeling slightly more confident in the carbon tax’s effectiveness at combatting climate change than they were a few months ago—but uncertainty is still high.
Toronto police to provide update on incident that left woman, 2 kids in critical condition
The acting inspector of the Toronto Police Service’s homicide unit will be providing an update Monday on an incident in Scarborough that left a woman and two children with critical injuries on Sunday night.
'Barbie' leads Golden Globe nominations with 9, followed closely by 'Oppenheimer'
Greta Gerwig’s 'Barbie' dominated the Golden Globe Awards nominations with nine nods for the blockbuster film, including best picture musical or comedy as well as acting nominations for Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling and three of its original songs.
Why Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas is You' became so popular - and stayed that way
If anything about Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" annoys you, best to avoid shopping malls now. Or the radio. Maybe music altogether, for that matter.
These are the 5 headlines you should read this morning
The new federal dental insurance plan is set to be phased in gradually over 2024, Donald Trump is refusing to testify at his New York fraud trial, and a new poll reveals what Canadians think of the carbon tax.
Israel battles militants in Gaza's main cities, with civilians trapped in the fighting
Israeli forces battled Palestinian militants in Gaza's two largest cities on Monday, with civilians still trapped in the fighting even after hundreds of thousands have fled to other parts of the besieged territory.