Nova ScotiaAlex Munroe of Windsor Junction, N.S., was 13 years old when he saved his mother and younger brother from a dog attack. Alex Munroe, 15, has received two medals of bravery after saving his mom and brotherPreston Mulligan · CBC News · Posted: Nov 18, 2025 7:06 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Trisha Munroe and her 15-year-old son, Alex Munroe, pose with the two medals he received following the attack: the Nova Scotia Medal of Bravery and the Carnegie Medal for Heroism. (Haley Ryan/CBC)The family of a teenager who earned two medals for saving his brother and mother from a dog attack is asking for Halifax Regional Municipality to reform its animal control bylaws.Trisha Munroe of Windsor Junction, N.S., brought forward several concerns to regional councillors Tuesday after they lauded her 15-year-old son Alex for his heroic actions more than 2½ years ago.On March 6, 2023, Munroe’s two younger sons Will and Luke, 8 and 10 at the time, had been playing outside their home when Luke ran into the house and told her the male German shepherd that lived next door was attacking his brother. “I went out just thinking maybe it was jumping up and playing on them,” said Munroe. “But when I looked out — it was not play. The dog was thrashing him around, had his arms in his jaw. It was very violent.”Munroe said she ran to the dog and straddled it, intending to grab its collar, but it wasn’t wearing one. She tried to no avail to pull the dog’s jaws off Will. That’s when Alex, then 13, approached the dog and started punching it around the face and head. Eventually, the dog released Will and Munroe told him to run into the house.That’s when the dog turned on her.”And so Alex kept punching and punching until it let go,” she said. “And then it got my other arm and then he kept punching it and then it released me and I was able to grab it by the scruff of the neck so it couldn’t reach around to bite me anymore.”Used new skills to assess situation”I just like started punching it in the head, trying to get it off like my brother and my mom,” Alex said. “And once it was free, I just … tried to make sure everyone was OK.”Munroe said she was impressed her son was able to remain calm and take control of the situation, using skills he’d learned in lifeguarding training to assess her injuries.”He called 911, he did the whole phone call with them. He moved his sister down to the basement because she was hysterical. He even went the length of putting the cat in the basement in case one of the first responders was allergic,” she said.She and Will both required stitches in several places to close wounds. He bore the brunt of the attack and has “pretty significant scarring on one of his arms,” she said.But the trauma for the Munroes continued. Munroe said animal control charged the dog’s owner with not having the animal properly licensed, allowing it to run at large and having an animal that attacked a person or animal. She said the German shepherd was declared dangerous, and the owners were told to muzzle the dog when walking it and to build a fence around the property. The animal also could not be left in the care of anyone under the age of 18.Dog was not seized, Munroe saysThere was no requirement, however, for the dog to be removed from the property either permanently or during the investigation, Munroe said. Instead, it remained in its outdoor kennel and would bark at her children when they went outside to catch the school bus.”We took for granted and assumed that if a dog attack like that happened, the animal was just seized. We just wanted to feel safe,” she said. Since the attack, Alex has been awarded two medals for his actions that day: the Nova Scotia Medal of Bravery and the Carnegie Medal for Heroism.But he said Tuesday he lived in fear, especially when he was catching the bus, knowing the dog was still next door.”I could still see it barking at me,” he said. “So it was pretty scary, having to be right there, just like a cage away from it.”The dog’s owners eventually re-homed the animal, sending it to Cape Breton.Alex was recognized by Halifax regional council on Tuesday and received a standing ovation for his act of heroism. His mother then raised their concerns to council, asking for some key reforms that would:transfer dangerous dog legislation to the provincial level.require immediate seizure authority for animal control after an attack so victims are protected while investigations take place.hand out stiffer penalties for owners who fail to control their dogs.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORPreston Mulligan has been a reporter in the Maritimes for more than 20 years. Along with his reporting gig, he also hosts CBC Radio’s Sunday phone-in show, Maritime Connection.With files from Haley Ryan
Family asks for animal control reform after Windsor Junction teen fends off dog attack
