PARKSVILLE (B.C. Newspaper Group) - Classroom visits by the RCMP's police dog will likely continue after a nine-year-old girl was bitten during a school activity in Parksville.
Grade 3 Winchelsea Elementary student Angelina England-Heit was bitten on the stomach last Thursday morning by the police dog out of the Port Alberni RCMP detachment. The RCMP dog master was in the classroom demonstrating what the canine unit does for the police.
"This was a very unfortunate incident," said Oceanside Staff Sgt. William Van Otterloo. "From what I understand, the dog nipped the girl as she and the rest of her class were leaving the room."
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He said the bite did not puncture the skin or rip clothing. The Oceanside RCMP detachment is taking the lead in investigating the incident. Van Otterloo said he plans on taking statements from the dog master, teachers and other adults in the room at the time, and from the child's parents. The parents, he continued, have indicated they might be taking legal action, so he would not go into detail about the investigation.
Sgt. Lee Omilusik of the Port Alberni RCMP, said the dog unit makes frequent trips to schools in the region, and made two other school visits that same day.
"We aren't planning on cutting this off, or cancelling school visits," he said. "We will assess each one, but that's something we do anyway."
Both officers said the dog master is not facing disciplinary action. The police dog was in the classroom as a 'prize', said Van Otterloo. Working with the school, the RCMP help promote literacy. For reading the most books in the program, Van Otterloo said students can pick a prize - and a popular one is a class visit from the dog team.
School District 69 is not considering ending the visits at this time, said Superintendent Candace Morgan. The dog unit went on to two other District 69 schools that same day, she said.
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