Pitbulls attacked twice.

If your dogs bite, you can be charged

Farmers Forum staff

HURON COUNTY — Farmers love dogs but a grumpy dog can land you in a mess of trouble.

A Goderich dog owner, in Western Ontario, has been criminally charged after her three pitbull mixed dogs attacked and bit two people in separate incidents. In the first attack the victim’s dog was also killed, according to Huron County OPP.

Police initially charged the owner with failing to secure her animals — a provincial offence under the Dog Owner Liability Act and faced a fine— after three dogs left a property and attacked a nearby pedestrian walking dogs in the summer of 2024. The pedestrian was bitten in the face requiring medical attention.

Two of the attacking dogs struck again in the same area in July this year, police said. This time, a person using a mobility scooter suffered a bite to the knee while out walking his own dog.

Following the second incident, police arrested and charged 36-year-old Kendra Brall with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, under the Criminal Code of Canada. That charge could involve a fine, jail time and a criminal record, making it difficult to leave the country. The Goderich dog owner was to appear Oct. 6 in Goderich court.

“Injuries in both cases were minor in nature,” OPP Const. Craig Soldan said.

The three pitbull mixes remain in Brall’s care pending a Dog Owner Liability Act court hearing.