Winnipeg housing co-op residents scared, angry after 5-year-old attacked by dogs

Dave Baxter · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 27, 2025 7:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Fear and choler are increasing successful a northwest Winnipeg lodging complex, aft a parent says her young girl was attacked by 2 dogs that she says person a past of assertive behaviour.

"We present person a small miss who comes home, comes consecutive successful the house, and won't play extracurricular unless we nudge her," Judy Cymbalisty said. "She's scared, and present erstwhile she hears a canine she runs successful crying and screaming.

"She thinks each canine is retired to get her."

Cymbalisty lives successful the Seven Oaks Garden Housing Co-operative successful West Kildonan with her hubby and her 2 kids. 

She says on June 6, her five-year-old daughter, Brooklynn, was walking to spot a person successful the analyzable erstwhile she was attacked from down by 2 American bulldogs successful an extracurricular communal area.

The dogs attacked the girl after forcing their mode retired of their owner's location done a tempest door, according to Cymbalisty.

She was astatine work when her hubby called her astir the attack, and said she frantically drove home, not knowing the grade of her daughter's injuries. 

"These are American bulldogs — they person large jaws," she said. "I had the precise worst script successful mind.

"I was a handbasket lawsuit erstwhile I was driving home."

Although not arsenic atrocious arsenic Cymbalisty thinks they could have been, Brooklynn had superior injuries, including 4 punctures to the backmost of her head, a puncture though her ear, and aggregate scrapes and scratches connected her precocious and little body.

The miss was taken to infirmary for attraction aft the onslaught and aboriginal released. 

Along with the carnal trauma, Cymbalisty said her girl has besides been forced to woody with the intelligence trauma caused by the attack.

"Physically she's healing, but mentally we person a batch of enactment up of us," said Cymbalisty, who confirmed that they person been taking Brooklynn to spot a therapist since the attack. 

'Extremely worried' residents: committee member

Cymbalisty lodged a ailment with the city's carnal services but has been frustrated by what she sees arsenic a deficiency of urgency to woody with a problem she says has everyone successful the analyzable connected edge.

A petition has besides been started by tenants of the analyzable asking that the dogs beryllium removed.

"We person different members of the co-op who are acrophobic and person asked questions about, 'is it safe?'" she said.

Sylvia Burdey, who besides lives successful the complex, says the dogs person been reported to carnal services before.

She said successful 2021, they attacked her portion trying to get astatine her cat, which she was holding.

A ailment was filed aft the attack, she said.

In a connection sent to CBC, a City of Winnipeg spokesperson would lone accidental an investigation is ongoing, and the metropolis can't stock immoderate different details astatine this time.

Shawn Orne, the tract absorption co-ordinator of the analyzable and a subordinate of its committee of directors, said there's palpable interest among residents astir the dogs, and whether someone other volition beryllium attacked.

"We person young families and a batch of elder citizens connected site," Orne said. "It's conscionable got a batch of radical highly worried."

He added that truthful acold helium has seen a "lack of reaction" from both the proprietor and carnal services.

"When determination is an incidental that involves a child, you expect carnal services to beryllium present rapidly and beryllium attentive — and code it fairly, but resoluteness it."

He added the committee has had a gathering wherever it voted successful favour of removing the dogs from the home, and has hired ineligible counsel arsenic it tries to get the dogs retired of the location and the neighbourhood. 

"We privation to guarantee that everyone is represented fairly," Orne said astir the determination to prosecute a lawyer. 

On Friday, CBC quality went to the location wherever the proprietor of the dogs lives seeking comment, but nary 1 answered the door. Dogs could beryllium heard barking wrong the location erstwhile the newsman approached it.