KFL&A Public Health — Local services in Ontario

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to express my extreme frustration and disappointment with the way Public Health has handled a serious incident involving my wife.

Two weeks ago, my wife was attacked by a dog. The animal was on a leash, but the owner made no effort to control it. The dog latched onto both of her legs, causing puncture wounds and massive bruising—some the size of baseballs. She went to the hospital and was told that Public Health would be contacting her regarding the incident.

Public Health did reach out the same evening, and there were a few follow-up calls over the two-week period. However, at no point during any of those conversations did anyone mention that she should contact Animal Control—or the police. We were led to believe that Public Health was handling the situation and would contact the dog’s owner. That never happened.

Two weeks later, Public Health called again—not to provide updates, but to ask us if we had seen the dog around. Only then were we informed that no one had contacted the dog’s owner, despite having the address. We were also told this matter actually falls under Animal Control’s jurisdiction.

Why wasn’t this communicated earlier? Why go through the motions of follow-up calls if your department has no authority to act?

This has been a complete failure of communication and responsibility. If we had been told on Day One to call Animal Control or the police, we would have. Instead, we’ve lost valuable time, and the owner continues to walk the same dog near children on their way to school.

I don’t usually complain, but this has been handled so poorly that I’m compelled to speak up. We trusted that Public Health would either take action or direct us to the proper authorities. That did not happen.

I strongly recommend that your staff receive proper training to ensure that citizens in urgent situations are directed to the right resources immediately. The safety of the public depends on it—and frankly, so does your credibility.

Do...

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Edit #1: It's been 1 week since I've posted this with no answer, am I to assume that KFL&A does not have an adequate response?

Edit #2: Week 2, I love how they respond pretty quickly to all the positive reviews, but ignore my criticism for weeks. Just goes to show how much Kingston truly "cares" for the...