Man who stabbed Edmonton police dog to be sentenced for animal cruelty

EDMONTON – The sentence will be handed down today for a man who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty in the death of an Edmonton police dog earlier this year.

Paul Joseph Vukmanich was high on drugs and fleeing from police last October when he repeatedly stabbed the dog named Quanto.

Officers had set the German shepherd loose after Vukmanich crashed a car with stolen plates and ran away on foot.

The case garnered national attention after police officers complained that the toughest charge which could be laid was animal cruelty.

The federal government signalled in the speech from the throne in October that it would create new legislation to protect animals that work with police and call it Quanto’s Law.

Quanto was the fifth Edmonton police dog to die in the line of duty.

His handler, Const. Matt Williamson, told court in his victim impact statement that Quanto was like a pet to his family but that as an officer, he knew the dog’s primary role was as his protector, a role he fearlessly fulfilled.

However, he said Quanto’s death has had a profound effect on his six-year-old daughter, who came to him crying one day with a question: “If Quanto’s job was to protect you from bad guys … is a bad guy going to kill you?”

The officer said the little girl now never lets him leave for work without giving him a hug first.

Crown and defence lawyers both recommended Vukmanich get 26 months in jail.