Owner of two dogs that killed boy in Edmonton gets community sentence

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“Ms. MacDonald is fully aware of the consequences of her actions and inactions, and there is no suggestion that she might engage in future behaviour such as that which brought her before the court in this case.”

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MacDonald’s two cane corsos fatally attacked her roommate’s son, Kache Grist, in her Edmonton home in April 2024.

Macklin allowed MacDonald to serve her sentence in Penticton, B.C., where she has been living with her mother. He imposed a lifetime ban on dog ownership but said she could bring forward an application in 10 years to try to remove it.

The Crown sought a five-year prison sentence for MacDonald and a lifetime ban on dog ownership. The defence asked for the conditional sentence of two years less a day.

Outside court, MacDonald’s lawyer said they were pleased with the judge’s decision and that she has filed an appeal challenging the conviction.

“The issue in this case has never been whether the dogs caused Kache’s death,” Evan McIntyre said. “The issue is whether she was legally responsible for that death.”

He said it is not contradictory for her to feel “incredibly remorseful” for Kache’s death while exercising her legal right to ask a higher court to overturn the conviction. Her appeal had been raised by the Crown prosecutor as evidence MacDonald has little remorse.

MacDonald, 46, was found guilty of criminal negligence causing death in May.

At trial, court heard Kache, who lived in British Columbia with his mother, was in Edmonton visiting his father Wesley Grist for spring break. Wesley Grist was living in MacDonald’s home.

MacDonald testified during trial that she repeatedly told Wesley not to leave the boy alone with her dogs. She said she didn’t approve of Kache staying at her home and tried to get the dogs into a boarding kennel, but they lacked the required vaccinations.

Before Kache’s death, the dogs had killed two pets and injured three adults, including MacDonald.

Wesley Grist later testified that on that fateful day that he was in the garage when his son was killed. He had allowed the boy to go inside to play a new video game while he finished cleaning up tools.

About 45 minutes later, he found his son lying in a pool of blood surrounded by the dogs on the kitchen floor. An autopsy found he died from bite injuries to the neck. The dogs were later euthanized.

The judge told MacDonald that simply warning Grist about the dogs was not enough. Macklin said there were many things MacDonald could have done, such as keeping the dogs leashed or chained in the backyard, locking them in their kennels or finding another place for the boy to stay.

MacDonald said Wednesday during her sentencing hearing that she thinks about Kache every single day.

“There is no sentence that this court could impose on me that could make me feel the weight of this loss more than I already do,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2026.

Daniela Germano, The Canadian Press