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Dog bites bylaw officer at B.C. homeless camp

Head of city bylaws department suffers ‘nasty bite’
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A dog bit a city bylaw officer at Anita Place Tent City on Friday. (THE NEWS/files)

Maple Ridge’s head of bylaw enforcement was attacked by a dog while at the Anita Place Tent City on Friday, according to a city statement.

Michelle Orsetti, manager of bylaws and licensing services, was bitten on the back of her thigh by a large dog that belonged to a camp resident.

“I’ve seen the pictures, and it’s a nasty bite,” said Coun. Gordy Robson.

He said there appeared to be puncture wounds and tissue torn away, and Orsetti was treated in hospital.

Robson added that reports from witnesses indicated the dog refused to let go of Orsetti’s leg even as people beat the animal.

“She’s a tough girl, but this would slow anybody down,” Robson said.

The dog is now in the care of the B.C. SPCA in Maple Ridge, said branch manager Krista Shaw.

She described it as a large, male adult, mixed-breed dog, and neutered. She added that it’s not a pit bull.

Shaw said the process of determining what to do with the dog is up to the city.

The city said in a statement Tuesday that Orsetti was bitten while working with a team of municipal employees at the St. Anne Camp to address site safety issues.

“The owner of the dog has been cooperating with the city,” says the statement.

“Ms. Orsetti has asked us to thank citizens for their concern and well wishes and has indicated that she expects to be back at work full-time later this week.”


 


ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com

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Neil Corbett

About the Author: Neil Corbett

I have been a journalist for more than 30 years, the past decade with the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News.
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