Aggressive deer fatally injures dog in family’s yard in Oak Bay, B.C.

OAK BAY, B.C. – Police on Vancouver Island are warning residents to protect their pets during deer mating season after a buck fatally injured a dog in the yard of a home.

Oak Bay police say the aggressive buck speared the 15-year-old husky-shepherd mix in the chest with its antlers.

They say the dog, which had lost its hearing, had been walking along the edge of the property and approached the buck as it was eating vegetation.

Police say the deer then lowered its head and tossed the dog, which was taken to a veterinary clinic and euthanized.

Sgt. Kevin Diachina says the dog might have spooked the large buck that came out of the bushes before the attack on Wednesday.

Diachina says the dog’s owner reached out to police hoping to spread awareness.

He says Oak Bay has some large deer and the males can be “unpredictable” and “aggressive” in rutting season, and it’s important to keep pets at a distance.

Conservation officers and animal control officials have been informed about the attack on the dog, police add.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2024.