Surrey to discuss pit bull control following attack, says mayor

One of two pit bulls seized after a Surrey, B.C., boy was mauled Sunday was put down and the city's mayor said new discussions on how to manage the breed are needed, especially in off-leash parks.

Sean Bajwa, who was recovering in hospital Wednesday, said both dogs attacked him while he was playing basketball with friends in the playground at Cedar Hills Elementary School around 4:30 p.m.

The SPCA said they want to talk to more witnesses before deciding if the other pit bull should be killed.

Manjit Bajwa, Sean's father, said he can't understand why the agency has not yet interviewed his son three days after the attack and why only one dog was put down.

"They never tried to contact me personally and my son. He's the prime witness. He had been attacked by two dogs," Bajwa told CBC News.

Later Wednesday, the SPCA said they had visited the family and the second dog is safely locked up.

Surrey Mayor Diane Watts said new discussions are needed to better manage pit bulls in the city.

"We need to have a conversation around making sure that all pit bulls are muzzled," she said Wednesday. "They should be on leash, anyway. They're not allowed to have them off leash.

"But we do have off-leash parks as well. Maybe we need to take a look at how we're going to manage those facilities as well."

In Surrey, a dog is considered dangerous if it's bitten someone or has been impounded three times.

It's ultimately the dog owner's responsibility to ensure the public is protected from being bitten by unsupervised dogs, Watts said.

Bajwa said the owners of the two pit bulls that attacked his son should be charged as a warning to other irresponsible dog owners.

He said he's also planning to sue the dog owners.