Canada

A woman accused of unleashing two pit-bull type dogs on another woman at a central Alberta trailer park was a no-show at her first scheduled court appearance because she was taken to hospital.

Calgary provincial court had no further detail on why Rita Phillip required medical assistance.

The judge was told that she was unable to attend Monday's hearing or speak to a court psychiatrist.

Phillip, 57, is charged with aggravated assault in the Aug. 18 attack at Sundre Mobile Estates Park in Sundre, Alta.

Lawyer Mickey Amery, who appeared as an agent on behalf of Phillip, declined to comment on the reason for her hospitalization.

He said Phillip had spoken to someone at the law firm but no one had officially been retained.

The victim of the attack, a 26-year-old woman, was so badly mauled emergency personnel thought she was dead.

Responders found her lying unconscious behind a closed bedroom door in a pool of blood.

She was a friend of Phillip's from Calgary who had been visiting when she was mauled. She remains in hospital in stable condition.

She suffered life-threatening wounds to her arms and face and is believed to have lost an ear. The young woman has already had several surgeries.

Police found the two dogs in another room of the trailer, throwing themselves at the door trying to get out.

One of the animals was successfully sedated with the help of a veterinarian, but the other remained awake and charged officers when the door was opened and had to be shot.

The other dog remains in quarantine and its fate has yet to be determined.