Neighbour charged with animal cruelty in dog attack

A southern Alberta man is facing a charge of animal cruelty in connection with an attack on his neighbour's dog.

Matthew Pacaud, who lives on an acreage in the Municipal District of Foothills, southwest of Calgary, said he found his dog Beau bloodied and missing several teeth last Tuesday.

As CBC News first reported last week, Beau's veterinarian said the four-year-old Great Pyrenees had been struck by a blunt object.

A neighbour had left an angry message on Pacaud's answering machine complaining about his dog's continuous barking.

The neighbour told CBC News that he went to Pacaud's house to talk to him about the longstanding problem but no one was home. Instead, Beau attacked him, so he defended himself with the walking cane he uses for a back condition, he said.

Nigel Warren, 62, has been charged with one count of injuring an animal under Section 445 of the Criminal Code, the Okotoks RCMP said Monday.

If convicted, Warren faces up to five years in prison. He's scheduled to appear in court in Okotoks on June 16.

"For neighbours to escalate to this is very unusual. I don't have many calls to this magnitude. Usually people use the proper avenues to resolve the situation," RCMP Const. Bryan O'Rourke said. "Either calling us before this happens, calling the [Municipal District] of Foothills, possibly writing letters to your representatives — those are all good options before escalating to something like this."

Beau underwent three hours of dental surgery on Friday and is expected to recover from his injuries.