Dog attack in Calgary: The remaining dogs have to be put down

An emotional Denis Bagaric spoke to CTV News outside court Thursday after a judge ruled they should be put down following a two-year legal battle over the fate of his two remaining dogs for their role in the death of a Calgary senior in June 2022.

“It’s a big mess,” Bagaric said. “I wake up every morning screaming and crying.”

Bagaric tried to hold back his tears but was emotional as he recalled that day. He was hosting a barbecue that Williams was invited to when the dogs broke free and mauled her to death.

It was a nightmare,” he said. “Before I came to Canada, life was hell, but as you get older, you develop love and things that matter to you. I love animals, that’s pretty much what I love the most. I loved Betty. So it’s tough. I never wanted all the dogs. I couldn’t find a home for them. Nobody wanted them. So I kept them. I expected a fairytale and now here we are.”

Smoki, Cinnamon and Bossi are Staffordshire Terriers. Smoki has since been euthanized for his role in the death of Betty Ann Williams on June 5, 2022.

The 86-year-old suffered fatal injuries to her head, neck, face and body that led to her death after three dogs escaped from a fenced and gated backyard and attacked her while she was gardening in a side alley.

Bagaric and Williams were neighbors.

“My dogs were never trained to harm anyone,” he said.

Severe wounds, numerous cuts

According to the court, the woman’s injuries were severe: she had numerous cuts and bruises on her head and neck, the vertebrae directly under her skull were broken, as was the bone under her jaw, the branches of her jugular vein and carotid artery were also damaged, she had bruises on her legs and cuts on her arms.

The three dogs were seized by the City of Calgary Animal Control following a fatal attack on a senior citizen in northwest Calgary on June 5, 2022. (Facebook/Denis Bagaric)

Bagaric says he wanted to tell his side of the story, but his lawyers advised him against it.

The city asked the court to euthanize its two remaining dogs, which the judge agreed to in his decision on Thursday.

“These dogs should not be returned to the community as they pose a high risk and danger to the public,” Judge Bruce Fraser ruled on Thursday.

“The only option is to order their destruction.”

Bagaric instead called for the dogs to be adopted and for behavioral modification.

His lawyer had argued that the two should be spared because there was no evidence of their involvement.

Fraser disagreed. “The photographs show horrific injuries to Miss Williams all over her body which led to her death, particularly to her head, jaw, neck and face. Her lip and one ear were torn off. She was covered in blood,” Fraser said.

“Miss Williams died a horrible death.”

Forbidden

Bagaric has already been fined $18,000 and banned from owning a pet for 15 years. He previously pleaded guilty to two counts of violating city ordinances: an animal attacking a person causing serious injury and animals running loose.

The judge in this case said he was convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that all three dogs were involved in the attack.

Bagaric says he has taken Williams to the doctor before, run errands with her and has pictures of her and the dogs together.

His two remaining dogs have been in the city’s care for 738 days.

“I couldn’t see my dogs and then people said I had no remorse, man, I loved Betty like a mother, I have pictures and I wasn’t allowed to show these things to anyone,” he said.

Bagaric says he plans to spend $15,000 on a gold memorial to Williams that will be placed near her home.

“I cry every day. I’m not a big tough guy, I take care of animals and I took care of Betty,” Bagaric said. “I mean, this breaks me, breaks me in half. For my own peace, I really wish I had been in her place. I do that every single day. It’s awful what happened.”

Some conclusions: Niece

Nancy Atkinson is Williams’ niece.

“It’s just nice to know that there’s finally an end to this and these dogs aren’t going to be out there somewhere,” she said from her home in Ontario.

Atkinson says she is grateful that this situation has finally been resolved. “To hear that it has finally happened, it should have happened two years ago, right after the attack,” Atkinson said.

“But he (Bagaric) wanted to fight it, and the city has been taking care of them (the dogs) for the past two years, but I’m glad the judge decided they’re going to be killed. To finally have some closure is nice, hopefully to try to move on and remember better times, happier memories of them than what happened.”

Atkinson says her aunt was a ray of light and lived a long, full life before her death. “She was a tiny little woman, but still a force of nature,” Atkinson said.

“She’s very independent, she bought the house herself. She did a lot of the work around the house herself, took care of her gardens and everything. She was in the Air Force and had a wicked sense of humor.”

Betty Williams, the 86-year-old Calgary resident who was beaten to death on June 5

Atkinson says Williams always remembered to be with family in the most important moments.

“She cared a lot about her family, their birthdays and Christmas. We always got cards, letters and other things from her. Because of the distance between us, we didn’t see her very often, but she always seemed to be thinking of us,” Atkinson said.

She adds that she does not believe Bagaric feels remorse and that it is sad that his dogs are being euthanized.

“I think his remorse is for the loss of his dogs,” she said. “I don’t think he really cared about what happened to her and just thought, ‘Oh, too bad. But now my dogs are gone.'”

Bagaric was told that if he did not appeal, he would have the opportunity to say goodbye to his dogs on Thursday or Friday. They would then be transferred to the care of Animal Bylaw Services. There is no set date for their euthanasia.

With files from The Canadian Press