11-year-old killed in fatal dog attack in South Edmonton home

Edmonton police say an 11-year-old is dead following a dog attack Monday evening.

EPS responded to reports of a dog attack just before 8 p.m. at a home near 82 Street and 11 Avenue SW.

When officers arrived they found an 11-year-old boy who was severely injured. Police attempted to provide lifesaving measures until paramedics arrived on the scene and declared the child dead.

Police say two large dogs were seized by Animal Control Peace Officers.

The dogs were owned by the owner of the home, and the child was reportedly visiting at the time of the incident.

A nearby neighbour CityNews spoke to was devastated to hear the news. She believes the dogs in question also attacked her dogs and a neighbour who was pet-sitting for her one year ago.

“She was just walking the dogs on leash on the sidewalk, and they had two large dogs- we thought they were Bull Mastiffs- and they were blocked by a tiny little baby gate. They went flying out of the house, they attacked my dogs, they attacked my neighbour.”

Though she regrets not reporting the incident- she isn’t the only one who has had issues with dogs at this address in Edmonton’s Summerside neighbourhood.

Animal Control Peace Officers say this was not the first time they’ve had to respond to the home. In the past year, officers reportedly responded to multiple barking complaints which resulted in warnings and one ticket.

Additionally, in 2024, “officers had responded to two attack complaints isolated to inside the private residence,” according to a statement from Animal Control Peace Officers. “One complaint is still under investigation while the other was concluded without charges.”

An investigation is ongoing, and an autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday, Apr. 3.

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Addressing dog attacks in Edmonton

The City of Edmonton says in April 2023, there was an additional allocation within the budget to enhance the capacity to address animal-related issues and complaints.

Since then, significant steps have been taken to address and investigate dog attacks and restricted dogs.

This includes a dedicated Animal Licensing Team, which is made up of five members, who focus on public education regarding the importance of licensing, restricted dog licensing, and enforcing compliance with licensing regulations.

The City says part of the role of the team is to monitor and follow up on restricted and dangerous dogs (dogs with dog attack records), categorizing them separately and implementing measures to prevent future incidents.

-With files from Laura Krause