Three pit bulls involved in a deadly attack on another dog last month in Kamloops, B.C., tested positive for methamphetamine and cocaine.
An investigation involving the city, veterinarians and animal behaviour specialists found the pit bulls beyond rehabilitation.
Kamloops bylaw officials caught the dogs after they killed a border collie.
The city is going to provincial court to get authorization to destroy the animals, but no charges have been brought against their owner by police or the SPCA.
Why does such a lengthy investigation have to happen? Why don’t municipalities have more power when it comes to animals?
It doesn’t matter if these dogs were high when they killed another dog. That does not justify their actions. If a human killed another human and was on drugs when it happened, they would still be charged with murder.
A lengthy investigation and court case is a waste of time and taxpayer money. Municipalities should have bylaws to deal with dangerous dogs to avoid all of this. There should be more of a focus and an investigation into why these dogs tested positive for meth and cocaine.
It has been one year since stray dogs came onto our property and mauled our little dog to death. I have no idea if those dogs were on drugs and what happened to them afterwards.
It was after this heartbreaking incident that I discovered there are no animal control bylaws within the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako. The officer I spoke to about the incident said he couldn’t really do anything because there were no laws to enforce.
Over the years, we’ve had people come into The Interior News with similar complaints. People have written to us, fearful of dangerous dogs in their neighbourhoods, scared of their neighbours.
Maybe animal control bylaws are difficult to enforce in widespread, rural areas but having a law brings awareness to the issue and is a template for how we want to live and how we want our community to run.
Leaving it up to neighbours to deal with dangerous dogs themselves is not fair. A lawless district is not a safe one.
These pit bulls that killed the border collie should be euthanized. I can’t imagine how the neighbourhood feels with them roaming around. What if a child is next? This is yet another wake-up call for local municipalities to either create local animal control bylaws or strengthen them.
-with files from Canadian Press
