A recently adopted rescue dog that attacked four people at a weekend house party in Colwood will be euthanized, according to animal control.
Mounties were called to a home in the 3000-block of Pickford Road early Saturday morning.
When they arrived, they found 13 people including several kids had barricaded themselves in the home to protect themselves from the pit bull-mastiff cross reportedly weighing 140 pounds.
The animal's owners secured the dog inside a bedroom but only after four people sustained serious injuries including bite wounds.
West Shore RCMP spokesman Cpl. Chris Dovell said no kids were hurt, but one heavily intoxicated male was arrested after taking off his shirt and trying to fight responding officers.
"The attack started during some roughhousing between two intoxicated adult male guests at the party where it appears the dog was bumped into and became aggressive," said Dovell.
In the news release, RCMP said the Ministry of Children and Families were also contacted to “review the safety of the children who were fortunately unharmed during the attack."
Owner Kyla Johnson, who suffered several bite wounds in the attack, said she doesn't blame the dog, Rex.
She said her father and her fiancée were playing video games when their voices got louder and alarmed Rex. He seemingly calmed down and Johnson started to play with him – and that's when the dog snapped.
"Something in him just switched,” said Johnson. “He went after my dad and he just jumped on my dad and went after him. I jumped on top of the dog and I was trying to pull my dad’s skin from under him."
She said she couldn't get the dog off of her dad so she attempted to distract him with treats unsuccessfully.
"The screams, they were horrible," she said.
Johnson's father suffered deep wounds to his legs and arms. Her aunt also suffered deep punctures when trying to intervene.
The family thinks that the video game they were playing – Call of Duty – may have triggered Rex.
"It caused a chain reaction where he just went into attack mode," said Johnson.
They can't say for sure though, because they're not aware of the dog's history.
Rex was adopted from the Lower Mainland months ago, and while Johnson said she was cautious at first, he turned out to be a teddy bear.
"He was best friends with all the cats," she said.
But on Monday, CRD Animal Control confirmed the animal would be put down, saying he wasn’t a candidate for rehabilitation.
"That dog back out in the public would be a huge liability issue and a huge public safety issue," said CRD Animal Control officer Don Brown.
He’ll likely be euthanized Tuesday, and Johnson has been granted a request to say one last goodbye.
"I'm going to just snuggle him and just let him know how much he's loved, and I'm sorry," she said.
She said she's also found new perspective through her pain, advising anyone willing to take a chance on a rescue dog to get them as puppy or through the SPCA, which can provide a history for the animal.