VANCOUVER: There's a saying that "It isn't news when a dog bites a man, but when a man bites a dog." That's exactly what happened in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, Canada on the morning of July 9th.

The victim was Pago, a police dog that was just doing its' duty. The suspect had refused to pull over at a routine vehicle inspection being conducted on Gorge Road. He rammed his car into a police truck and was trying to escape on foot when Pago caught him.

In his bid to escape, the man engaged in a "life and death" struggle with the German Shepherd, flailing at Pago's head with his fists, then trying to choke it. When this failed, the frantic man bit the dog.

Victoria Police spokesperson Naughton told the media that the suspect would be charged with a variety of charges, including dangerous driving, assaulting a police officer and possession of narcotics.

Both the suspect and the dog are said to have suffered light injuries.

The man will not be charged for biting the dog. This is because although police have considered charging people who attack police dogs in the past, they have held off going ahead with the charges as the dogs are not considered "sworn officers" under the law.

However, the national association representing police dog handlers has been lobbying for a change in the legislation, on the grounds that the animals are highly trained and extremely valuable members of police departments.

If and when the legislation is changed, people won't just appear in the news when they bite dogs in Canada, they'll have to show up in court too.