Police confirm a pair of off-leash dogs that brutally attacked a group of people in Nanaimo, including a young girl left with serious bite wounds, have been destroyed.
Policer were called to a home in the Cinnibar area of South Nanaimo on Saturday at around 10 a.m. when the unsupervised dogs attacked two youths and an adult in their yards.
Neighbours stepped in to fight off the dogs before the owner of the animals took them back home, according to RCMP.
Police say along with animal control officials they were able to locate the dogs and their owner.
The pets, described by neighbours as pit bull-cross dogs, were seized and humanely euthanized.
The father of the 10-year-old girl who was attacked said she suffered extensive bite injuries on her left arm and will miss school for at least a week.
"There were other people who came to help, thank god, pull the dogs off of her," said Dave Skabaro. "Very likely saved her life, because if it had gone for her neck or her face, it'd be a very different story right now."
Another neighbour said her eight-year-old son jumped in to help by fighting the animals off with a hockey stick, and that he later felt guilty for not being able to do more.
"He's verbalized feeling guilty that he was unable to chase after Rowan and keep hitting the dogs with a stick and protect them," said Kathy Torney.
Neighbours said it wasn't the first time the dogs involved have caused trouble in the area.
An investigation into the attack is ongoing.
