Surrey man, pet attacked by 5 pit bulls: police

A man walking his dog in a park in Surrey, B.C., was bitten by several pit bulls Sunday afternoon, RCMP said.

It was the ninth pit bull attack in British Columbia in the past 11 months.

Sunday's attack took place near 146 Street and 80A Avenue shortly after 1 p.m. when the man was confronted by the dogs, Surrey RCMP Sgt. Randel Marquardt said.

"He was surrounded by approximately five pit bulls," Marquardt told CBC News in a telephone interview.

"They bit the complainant a couple of times in the leg area. He refused any type of medical attention so didn't require any time of hospitalization."

Marquardt said the man's pet was also bitten and had to be taken to a veterinarian for treatment.

The man suffered only minor leg injuries, police said. His pet's condition is not known.

By the time police arrived at the scene, the pit bulls and their owner were gone.

RCMP were questioning neighbours who live near the park and trying to identify the owner of the pit bulls, Marquardt said.

A warrant has been issued for a B.C. man whose pit bulls are believed to be responsible for eight attacks on people and small dogs in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island.

A jogger and cyclist were injured by pit bulls in separate incidents in Surrey. The other six incidents involved other dogs being bitten, two of which died from their injuries.

On July 1, the owner of the pit bulls apparently tried to stop his dogs and was injured himself, needing 50 stitches to close all the wounds, Don Brown, an animal control bylaw officer with the Capital Regional District, said at the time.