Aggressive deer attacks spark warning from Saanich Police

Saanich Police say aggressive deer attacked a man and two dogs over the weekend in two separate incidents.

Romeo Strasbourg says he was involved in one of those incidents while walking his dog on Borden Street.

"I heard this noise behind me because it is paved road and I turned around and it was a deer about three feet behind me," he said.

"My dog hadn't heard it because my dog is partly blind and probably half deaf. But when she saw it she started growling and that's when the deer attacked us."

Strasbourg says he was able to grab his dog and find refuge on a nearby porch before they were hurt by the deer.

The other reported incident saw a deer pursue a dog in a yard in Gordon Head.

"Although deer often look very peaceful and placid, they can become very aggressive if they are defending their young and more so if you are with a dog," Staff Sgt. Chris Horsley said.

"For some reason the deer and the dogs certainly have this interaction with each other and in both of these instances dogs were involved."

Police say no one was hurt during the two attacks.

They say deer can be particularly aggressive at this time of year because they are trying to protect their fawns.

With files from Megan Thomas