B.C. dogs involved in fatal pet mauling tested positive for drugs: city
Drugs were found in dogs’ systems after they hopped a fence and mauled another dog to death, says city
The City of Kamloops says three pit bulls involved in a fatal attack on a 13-year-old border collie last month tested positive for drugs and it wants the animals killed.
According to the city's community services manager, urine tests performed on the animals after their capture showed two of the dogs tested positive for cocaine and amphetamines, while the third also had methamphetamine in its system.
"In my professional career it's not the first time I've seen drugs in dogs' urine samples before," Will Beatty told CBC News.
"The consistency of that happening isn't very high, but I can't speak to the behavioural piece of the dog — even if it had ingested and was on drugs."
'Seized dogs cannot be safely rehabilitated,' says city
The city seized the three pit bulls after an attack on the morning of Sept. 8 that left a family's beloved pet dead in its own backyard.
Beatty said the canines were at large at the time. RCMP ultimately asked for the public's help to find them.
It's unclear where the dogs ingested the drugs, but the animals have since been subjected to an investigation involving a veterinarian and an animal behaviourist.
Beatty says the city is going to provincial court to get authorization to destroy the animals.
In a release, the city said "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."
It wouldn't be the first time that drugs have shown up in a dog's system.
In 2014, the Vancouver SPCA obtained a search warrant for a Yaletown apartment after a Pomeranian named Carter tested positive for pot following a visit to a veterinarian.
In a statement, the City of Kamloops thanked the community for its patience as it navigates this "difficult situation."
"The safety and well-being of our community and their pets remains a key priority," the city said.
"We understand the gravity of this event and the distress it has caused both the owners and the broader community."
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With files from The Canadian Press