Coroner rules 4-year-old's dog mauling death accidental, but preventable

​Nunavut's chief coroner is ruling that the death of a four-year-old girl in Chesterfield Inlet was accidental, but is recommending ways to prevent future dog maulings.

The incident happened on Monday afternoon, when a dog that was tied up attacked the child. She was taken to the local health centre, but died of "sharp and blunt injuries," Padma Suramala, said in her report.

Suramala told CBC the dog that attacked the girl was not a sled dog. 

However, it was tied up on the land, away from the owner's home, in the presence of two other dogs. 

The coroner is recommending that dog teams should be kept outside of municipal boundaries.

"All dog team dogs or domesticated dogs should have muzzles and leashes" she said, "and they should be held and controlled by the owner."

Suramala also noted that parents should not leave children under 10 unattended when they're playing.

"And community members should instruct children not to tease dog teams. These dogs are not pets and are considered dangerous animals," the report reads.

"Children do not know the difference," Suramala told CBC. "They would like to play with the dogs."

Sled dogs penned up

The coroner's recommendations are aimed at the territory's municipal governments. Suramala is recommending that sled dogs in all Nunavut communities be penned in.

"A fencing area would prevent children from getting inside and playing with them," she said.

Suramala is calling on all municipalities to form dog sled committees, including MLAs, councillors, mayors and elders, to designate an area for the animals to keep the public safe.

She also wants to see a review of the roles and responsibilities of bylaw officers in controlling pets and dog teams in the communities.

"It is up to the community to form a committee and see the feasibility of putting these recommendations into implementation in order to prevent similar deaths in the future."