District of Clearwater needs an animal control bylaw, Ryan McLarty told town council during its Oct. 1 meeting.
He made his request after his five-year-old son was attacked and severely bitten by a dog in Weyerhaeuser subdivision.
The incident occurred on Sept. 18 as his son was riding his bike on Robson Street, McLarty said. A large dog rushed out from a yard and chased him, biting at his legs and bike tires. The boy stopped and the dog bit him on his right chest wall.
Neighbours heard the boy screaming and chased off the dog.
The police were called but said that, due to the lack of an animal control bylaw, they could do nothing unless there was an imminent danger to life.
McLarty noted that he is a primary care paramedic with the BC Ambulance Service and a first aid instructor. Speaking as a professional, he said the location of the bite could have been life threatening.
“I cannot think of another location on the body that would be considered a more serious bite zone outside of the throat or head,” he said.
The local father said he understands that this was the second or third incident with this particular animal.
“My hope is that this will be dealt with in a timely fashion before my professional services are required for a child thad receives far more serious injuries than my son,” he said.