“panic and chaos”: Vancouver dog owners not liable for gruesome assault at dinner party

A dinner party in Vancouver was turned into a horror movie after a gruesome dog attack left wounds on the cheek and forehead of one of the guests.

The details were recently released in a BC Supreme Court case between plaintiff Linda Evans and defendants Erin Berry and Sophie Anderson.

Evans sought damages against Berry and Anderson. Her dog, Bones, bit Evans in the forehead and left cheek at the end of a dinner party in November 2017.

According to a BC Supreme Court ruling document, Evans was good friends with Berry and Anderson and had been around Bones without issue. However, the court case also describes problems in Bones’ past when he nibbled on people’s ankles.

Bones was a rescue from Thailand who was adopted by Berry and Anderson in April 2017. Although no specific breed is mentioned, the court documents indicate that it was a mixed breed that looked like an Australian Cattle Dog.

“The sipping behavior was believed to be related to his race,” the court documents said.

Some aggression in other dogs has also been observed. The owners tried to get Bones help through various trainers and canine specialists.

On one occasion, Bones bit Berry’s father’s forearm, piercing the skin and drawing some blood. There was a sandwich involved, and this was an incident they believed was food-motivated, as both Berry’s father and Bones “were both kind of keen on the sandwich.”

Medical treatment was not required.

A nightmare for dinner parties

All went well the night of the attack.

Anderson and Berry were witnesses; For the most part, all parties agreed on the events that transpired.

As dinner ended and friends said goodbye, Berry remembered Bones lying on the floor. She recalled seeing Evans “kneel or squat on the floor by Bones.”

Bones was on his back and showing his belly, which is usually a sign that a dog is friendly. Evans moved to rub Bones’ stomach. Berry recalled that Bones was “moving toward Evans.” Berry did not report a growl or bark leading up to the injury or at any time during the evening. Evan’s hair covered Bone’s face.

Berry said Evans “sad goodbye to Bones and everything seemed fine.”

“Then I saw him step up and then she pulled back.”

She then recalled blood as Evans put her hands to her face.

Evans said she ran backwards “how very fast”.

“Someone came right up to me. I do not know who. There was a lot of excitement and, you know, panic and chaos.”

Evans also said that Bones “jumped right on my face.”

According to the court ruling, Evans felt no threat to her life or to Bones’ injury. Evans decided to walk to St. Paul’s Hospital, which was only a few blocks from the Vancouver apartment.

Evans received multiple stitches and injections in his forehead and cheek. Muscle was visible in each wound. Thankfully, Evans won’t be leaving a permanent disfigurement due to some cosmetic surgery and other work.

As for Bones, the owners decided to put him to sleep after this event.

In the end, the BC Supreme Court found that there was no basis for Berry and Anderson to be liable for this attack as there had been no previous attack of this severity, and the court dismissed the plaintiff’s suit.

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