HALIFAX -- The RCMP are investigating after a woman was attacked and killed by her own dog while she was walking the animal in a rural Nova Scotia community.
Police received a report just after 8 a.m. Tuesday about a possible death off Wittenburg Road in Middle Musquodoboit, N.S., and that a dog had been found at the scene.
Area resident Jocelyn Parker told CTV News she was driving her own dog to “doggy daycare” Tuesday morning when she spotted a dog and a girl on the side of the road.
Parker said she stopped her vehicle after the teenaged girl, who had been jogging, waved her down.
“She said, ‘Come quick, come quick,’ she said. ‘There’s a lady laying in the ditch, there’s a body,’” said Parker.
Parker said it was clear the woman had suffered a serious attack, but it wasn’t clear who, or what, had attacked her.
“At that point we hadn’t put together that the dog was perhaps behind the incident,” she said. “He was not aggressive to us.”
The dog, which RCMP described as a large pit bull, took off before police arrived on scene.
Police tweeted a warning to residents Tuesday morning that a “dangerous” pit bull suspected in a fatal attack was on the loose near the intersection of Wittenburg Road and Webster Road.
Police asked people who live in the area to stay indoors while they searched for the animal, which was later found dead.
The RCMP say the dog was struck and killed by a vehicle near Highway 224 around 9:30 a.m.
'I took care of the dog'
The driver confirmed to CTV News that he struck the dog on purpose because he was concerned for the safety of his grandchildren and was worried the dog might attack again.
“I’m glad I came across the dog and took care of it because it really bothered me to think about what else could have happened to the people that didn’t know this was going on, so I’m very thankful,” said Mark Taylor.
Taylor said he was at a bible camp he runs when he learned about the incident from his daughter, who lives close to where the woman was attacked. She said he grew increasingly concerned when his daughter told him she had spotted the dog on the loose.
He said he jumped in his van, checked on his grandchildren, and informed people walking along the road about the attack.
“A lot of people didn’t know. I know in this area a lot of people walk along the roads, so I was concerned with that, but I also have livestock in that direction,” said Taylor.
He was headed down the road that leads to his livestock when he saw the dog. Taylor said he made a snap decision to hit the animal with his vehicle.
“It was very fast. I don’t know how to describe it, it was surreal,” he said. “I didn’t concern myself with any repercussions. I took care of the dog.”
Taylor, who describes himself as an animal lover, says it was a tough decision to make, but he believes it was the right one.
“I don’t want to sensationalize what I did. I want people to focus on this poor girl and what happened to her and her family,” he said.
Police have not released the woman’s age or identity, but they said she was from Middle Musquodoboit.
Area residents told CTV News the woman often walked her dog in the area and the animal was usually muzzled.
RCMP Cpl. Lisa Croteau said police are investigating whether there had been complaints about the dog and if the animal had been wearing a muzzle at the time of the attack.
