Police Dog Bites Officer's Young Son During Training At Home

A police officer’s son was injured after he was attacked by his father’s off-duty police dog in training. The incident took place in Calgary, Canada, on Saturday morning.

In a statement Sunday, the Calgary Police Service said the police officer was training the canine in the backyard of his home when the boy was bitten by the canine. The officer secured the animal and rushed the boy to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.

In a news release, Insp. Nancy Farmer of the CPS Support Section, said, “We are very concerned for our member and his family who were involved in this incident.”

Defending the practice of housing service dogs at home, Farmer said, “While we take this incident very seriously, it is important to recognize the vital role that our Police Service Dogs play in the Calgary Police Service. These animals require a high level of socialization, and being at home with their handlers during their time off is critical to developing a strong bond between the dog and their officer.”

Meanwhile, the boy was released from the hospital and the canine was moved to a kennel.

The incident comes less than two months after a woman and a dog were attacked by four pit bulls in Calgary. The incident took place when Marissa Gautreau was walking her roommate’s dog. While the woman suffered minor injuries , the dog too received stitches.

Recalling the incident, Gautreau said, “The next thing you know I’m kind of starfishing our dog on the ground while the four pit bulls are biting us from every angle. A car pulls up. Two people get out and they start beating on the dogs with two lacrosse sticks and dogs just don’t give up, and then another guy stops and he’s kicking the dogs, and then finally the dogs just gave up and I was sitting here on my front lawn just bleeding everywhere.” The canines continued to “run wild” until the officers came and took them away.