'Everybody is in shock': Sask. man allegedly killed by neighbour's 2 dogs
A woman from Witchekan First Nation says she's mourning after two dogs attacked and killed her older brother while he was mowing a neighbour's lawn.
"Everybody is in shock that something like this could happen, that he could be taken so violently from us," Giselle Thomas said of her brother Noel Thomas.
Giselle says Noel, 43, was helping his neighbours when the two dogs attacked him.
She says the dogs — that belonged to the neighbour — charged at him from behind and bit his leg while the other attacked his left hand.
She says neighbours walking by heard him yell for help and had their dogs attack the other dogs to get them off Noel.
"He stood up for a little bit and walked around and then he just collapsed after that happened … they called 911 and shortly after I arrived and I started performing CPR," she said.
Giselle says her older brother was pronounced dead at the scene.
"She (the owner) had so much recklessness, she put his life in danger by allowing him to come to their shared yard and having those dogs outside like that," Giselle said.
The owner of the dogs has apologized to Noel’s mother but not to other family members, according to Giselle.
In an email to CTV News, RCMP confirmed members of Spiritwood RCMP assisted in a "non-suspicious death" investigation at the First Nation on June 1.
The Saskatchewan Coroners Service is investigating the incident.
A post-mortem examination has been completed and results will be available in approximately four to six months, the coroners service said.
The Thomas family says the dogs were seized but it’s not enough, they’re hoping that charges will be laid and the owners will take responsibility for their actions.
The family claims there have been other incidents involving the dogs.
"We want the maximum amount of charges because this has happened four times with those dogs, they have attacked four people and this has caused death now," Giselle said.
Giselle says there’s an overpopulation of dogs on the First Nation, leading to people feeling unsafe.
"What if there’s mom, their father, their brother? Too many people are getting attacked by dogs and nothing is being done so I want (the owner) to be charged to set an example to the rest of Saskatchewan," she said.
Noel’s niece Savanna says she was 15 minutes away from town when she got a call to hear about what happened to her uncle.
“It was just hard, hard to understand. Kind of felt like a movie even getting to the scene, it just didn't feel real,” Savanna told CTV News.
Savanna says if the owners took action and given up their dogs who were “obviously vicious” in other alleged instances, her uncle’s death wouldn’t have happened.
People in the community often walk around with golf clubs to protect themselves from other dogs, she said.
“There's a lot of houses that we community members know to look out for because there's a mean dog there. It's not like one or two. It's probably like 10 or 12."
A funeral for Noel was held on Witchekan First Nation last week. Giselle says she and many people hold fond memories of her brother who was taken too soon.
"A lot of our family members shared stories about him coming over and visiting and him making coffee and greeting everyone and asking if they wanted any help around the house."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Ippei Mizuhara, ex-interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, pleads guilty in sports betting case
The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud Wednesday in a sports betting case where prosecutors allege he stole US$16 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.