City wants dogs put down

The City of Kamloops will ask a judge for permission to kill three dogs involved in a violent attack last month that killed a family pet on the North Shore.

On Sept. 8, a Richmond Avenue family’s collie was killed in its own yard after three neighbourhood dogs, believed to be pit bulls, jumped the fence and attacked, police have said.

The dogs were surrendered to the city a few hours later from an address near the home on Richmond Avenue. They have been in the custody of the city since.

On Thursday, the city announced it has filed a court application to euthanize the dogs — a move that needs the approval of a judge.

The city said its community services department has conducted a thorough investigation, which included veterinary and animal behaviour assessments of the seized dogs.

“Based on the cumulative evidence, the city believes that the seized dogs cannot be safely rehabilitated, nor can safety measures be imposed on the dogs in a way that adequately protects public safety and prevents future injuries to humans or animals,” the city said in a statement.

The city had 21 days to file a court application from the time of the seizure, otherwise the dogs would have had to have been released back to their owner.

The date of the provincial court hearing is not yet known.