A homeless man wants his dog back after it bit a man during a confrontation and was seized by the Surrey SPCA.
The dog may be put down and Ed Chase is being told that according to Surrey bylaws he needs to pay a $5,000 fine to get the dog released.
Since his father’s death two months ago, Chase said there is little comfort in his life. There are his friends who drop by the grassy area he calls home and his numbered possessions, stored on a small wagon. And there are his two dogs, Darryl and Ray.
“This isn’t about the dog,” Chase said. “It’s about the City of Surrey wanting me off this grass.”
On June 28, Chase got into a yelling match over the anti-government protest sign he was holding, with John Barichello, 60, at a gas station near 97th Avenue and 160th Street. Chase said when he was punched in the back of the head and had his hair grabbed, Ray defended him by clamping down on Barichello’s leg.
Barichello’s version is that Chase and a friend approached him, began assaulting him, and then Ray chomped down on his leg.
Either way, Ray is now locked up.
“My dogs mean everything to me,” said Chase. “I’ve been a loser for most of my life, but I tried not to commit crimes.”
Corry Anderson-Fennell, with the B.C. SPCA, said that Surrey’s dog responsibility bylaw states that dogs must be muzzled. Chase has refused to muzzle Ray, calling it cruel.
He appears in court Thursday.
