Two of the three pit bulls are seen here, which were seen around North Kamloops before they were surrendered to Kamloops bylaw officers.

Image Credit: FACEBOOK/North Shore Business Improvement Association

Three dogs that killed a border collie in Kamloops are set to be put down after a bylaw investigation.

The matter will go before a judge later this month, but City community services manager Will Beatty said the dogs were not only found to have killed the 12-year-old collie, but they were all deemed dangerous — enough of a risk that they should be put to death.

"Community safety is my number one decision maker," Beatty said. "It's my responsibility to make sure these dogs don't have the opportunity to do this again."

The Community Services, or bylaw department, investigation looked at the evidence around the Sept. 8 death to determine all three pit bulls were responsible, but it also included evidence from people who have been around the dogs before, a veterinary assessment and a behavioural assessment.

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The City could deem dogs "aggressive" rather than "dangerous," which comes with higher licensing costs and responsibilities that require the owner to keep a dog muzzled and leashed at all times when in public, while the dogs must also be kept to enclosed spaces while on private property.

In this case, Beatty said the dogs were not likely to be rehabilitated. He also said while he came to his conclusion with public safety at the top of his mind, the decision wasn't an easy one.

"I'm a very compassionate person. I do understand dogs — furry friends — are looked at as family members," he said. "It comes with a heavy heart on both sides. We will never get the border collie back and at the same time, if the destruction order is successful, we will never get those pit bulls back."

The dogs were given up willingly in the aftermath of the killing. Two of the dogs were licensed with the City and, although it wasn't the address tied to the licences, they were all seized from the same home.

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In the weeks the dogs have been held, a veterinary assessment found drugs in the urine of all three dogs. Two tested positive for amphetamines and cocaine, while the third tested positive each of those plus methamphetamine. Beatty said there's no evidence the drugs led to their aggressive behaviour that killed the border collie.

He also said the City has no mechanism to restrict licensing on dog owners in the event they were found to be at fault for the dogs ingesting drugs. It's a matter that would be left for BC SPCA to restrict a dangerous pet owner from owning dogs in the future. The SPCA has taken after animals ingest drugs like when they removed a dog from a Kamloops man's possession last year after it overdosed on meth and fentanyl.

It's not clear if the BC SPCA is taking action against the dog owners in this case and Beatty said he couldn't speak for the animal welfare agency, but Beatty previously said the BC SPCA was leaving the investigation for the City to lead.

If the order to destroy the pit bulls is approved by a judge, Beatty said the owners will have a 30-day window to appeal the decision.

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