Dogs' 'death penalty' delay

A "death penalty" hearing for three dogs involved in a fatal attack on a family pet last month in North Kamloops has been adjourned until late November.

Police said on Sept. 8, a Richmond Avenue family’s 12-year-old collie was killed in its own yard after three neighbourhood dogs jumped the fence and attacked. The City of Kamloops seized the dogs and have said the animals tested positive for methamphetamine and cocaine.

Kamloops lawyer Dan McNamee told Castanet he was retained as counsel for the owners of the dogs, believed to be pit bulls, and was booked in for a different matter on Thursday, the original hearing date. It will now take place on Nov. 25.

McNamee said he’s hoping to “show the other side” of the case.

“The city’s trying to destroy these dogs — it’s like a death penalty case for the dogs," he said. "I just want to try and find some justice for these dogs."

Kamloops RCMP said officers were called to the 6000-block of Richmond Avenue after receiving a report of the attack. Mounties said the collie’s owner was alerted to the sounds of the dogs in the early morning hours, and came outside to find her dog had been fatally injured.

The three pit bulls were surrendered to the City of Kamloops a few hours after the attack from an address near the home on Richmond Avenue. They have been in the custody of the city since.

The city said its community services department conducted a thorough investigation, including 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.

McNamee said he’s looking at having another behavioural assessment of the dogs take place before November.

“Obviously, with the drugs in the dogs’ system, a big part of the case that we're going to be putting forward is, how can you say that these dogs are irredeemable? This is clearly an out-of-character incident that's attributable to the drugs that were in their system,” he said.

He said the dogs may need to attend a behavioural specialist for a period of time, and the possibility of securing new homes for the animals is also being considered.

McNamee said if anyone wants to help and is able to offer assistance, he encouraged them to reach out to him to talk about the case.