Woman faces prison time for bringing dangerous dog to playground that mauled boy for 2 minutes

Prosecutors are requesting that a woman be imprisoned for three years after her dog mauled a 9-year-old boy because of her negligence.

Patrycja Siarek's dog Capo was under a muzzle order when she brought it to the Little Norway Park in Toronto where dogs are prohibited. The dog had been previously investigated three times for biting incidents by the city of Toronto.

'I feel horrible, and it’s my fault. I just feel so bad. I’m so sorry, and I hope that child’s OK.'

Siarek allowed the dog to run off without a leash and without a muzzle before Capo attacked a boy who was with his father.

The dog attacked the boy for approximately two minutes before it let go of the boy's leg.

Video showed the woman rushing away from the park without identifying herself, but police were able to find her through the help of tips from the public.

Siarek pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing bodily harm and apologized for her behavior.

"I’m just really sorry, I never would want to hurt a child or hurt anybody, I feel horrible, and it’s my fault," she said in court. "I just feel so bad. I’m so sorry, and I hope that child’s OK. I know it’s my fault Capo died. It’s [a] terrible thing."

Her attorney argued that there were no children in the area when she arrived and that she had taken off his leash to play fetch when the child approached the enclosure, which had an open door. Siarek also consented to having Capo euthanized.

Assistant Crown Attorney Nathan Kruger asked the court to sentence her to three years in prison and a prohibition against her owning a dog for 10 years.

"It was negligence that resulted in this outcome for the dog. The dog owner's liability act was to protect the dog. Capo is not legally responsible for his actions. Ms. Siarek was," said Kruger.

Kruger said that the child had asked his parents if it would have been easier if he had died, after having to face surgery for the injuries sustained.

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"She knew Capo was dangerous, knew others considered him dangerous, knew there were legal restrictions on him because he was dangerous, and despite this knowledge, she put members of the public and, indeed, Capo in a very dangerous situation," he added.

In addition to the restrictions on the dog, Siarek was out on bail for a mischief charge at the time of the attack. She had also been convicted on 15 charges, including fraud, failing to comply peace orders, and obstructing police officers.

The dog was described as similar to a pit bull.

The judge in the case said she would reserve her sentencing decision until next month.

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