By Canadian Press

Victim in Quebec dog attack thanks community for outpouring of support

Apr 27, 2019 | 10:00 AM

MONTREAL — A Quebec woman who was mauled and seriously injured in an attack by three dogs last month in the Eastern Townships sent a message Thursday thanking the community for its support.

The message from Dominique Alain and her family thanks first-responders and staff at the hospital in Sherbrooke, Que., for taking care of her following the mauling.

Alain was attacked on March 29 while jogging along a road in Potton Township, about 125 kilometres southeast of Montreal.

Animal welfare authorities deemed the dogs too dangerous to be returned to their owners, and local councillors voted to euthanize the animals.

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The family expressed “their deepest gratitude and thanks for the continued support” in a short message published on the Potton Township website, adding that Alain is “on the road to recovery.”

Mayor Jacques Marcoux, who knows Alain personally, said the family wanted to thank those who had helped her out in different ways since the attack.

Marcoux said she has already undergone several medical procedures and her hospitalization is likely to continue for some time.

“But she’s out of intensive care, which is quite important,” Marcoux said. He spoke to Alain’s husband on Wednesday, who mentioned to him the likelihood of prosthetics.

“This is a very resilient lady, I know her personally and I’m crossing my fingers that she pulls out of this okay,” Marcoux added. “Her future will certainly not be the same as it was in the past — she was a very active person with exercise every day.”

Marcoux said the entire community — several villages make up the township — was deeply affected by the attack.

A Go Fund Me page launched in April to help pay for prosthetics, retrofitting of her home and other expenses has raised more than $21,000 so far.

Potton Township intends to tighten its bylaws once the Quebec government legislate’s on dangerous dogs, Marcoux said. A spokesman for Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault said the province intends to table amendments in the coming weeks.

The Canadian Press