Pit bulls declared vicious by Alberta town before they mauled woman in home

SUNDRE, Alta. – Two pit-bull-type dogs that mauled a woman at a home in southern Alberta, allegedly on command from their owner, had been declared vicious by town officials.

Peace officer Kevin Heerema (HERE’-ah-mah) says the dogs escaped from their yard at a mobile home park in Sundre and seriously attacked another dog last October.

He says declaring the dogs vicious under the town’s bylaw required them to be muzzled and on short leashes when out in public and confined to a pen when in their yard.

He says there was also a complaint last month that the dogs were not confined and their owner had not renewed their licences.

RCMP are still searching for the dogs’ owner, 57-year-old Rita Phillip, who disappeared following the attack on Saturday.

A 26-year-old woman visiting the home was so severely mauled by the dogs that first responders initially thought she was dead.