Pit bulls had drugs in system

UPDATE 3:25 p.m.

The City of Kamloops says three pit bulls involved in a deadly attack on another dog last month tested positive for methamphetamine and cocaine and it wants the animals put down.

Kamloops community services manager Will Beatty says the drugs were found in the dogs' systems after they hopped a fence and mauled a 13-year-old border collie to death.

Beatty says an investigation involving the city, veterinarians and animal behaviour specialists found the pit bulls beyond rehabilitation.

The dogs that lived on Jasper Ave. on the city's north shore killed the border collie on Sept. 8, and were later caught by Kamloops bylaw officials.

Beatty says the city is going to provincial court to get authorization to destroy the animals, and no charges have been brought against their owner by police or the SPCA.

He says the drugs the dogs consumed could have played a role in the deadly mauling, but the city is still seeking to have the animals put down.

The Canadian Press, CHNL

ORIGINAL 9:20 a.m.

The City of Kamloops will ask a judge for permission to kill three dogs found to have been 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 application will be heard on Oct. 17 in Kamloops provincial court.