Provincial court to decide fate of 2 vicious dogs in Sudbury

The owners of two dogs in the city's custody will have to wait for the provincial court to decide the fate of the animals.

Earlier this month, two dogs from Lively were taken from their owners after killing another neighbourhood dog. They'll be there for a while, according to the manager of security and bylaw services, Brendan Adair.

Although the dogs are being held in Sudbury's shelter, their owners have been charged with provincial offences under the Dog Owners' Liability Act (DOLA). That means whatever happens to the dogs is now out of the city's hands.

"At the end of the day, it's a justice of the peace that would determine the fate of the animals," Adair says.

This is the first time in recent memory that the City of Greater Sudbury has seized animals using DOLA. Adair says staff reached out to Kawartha Lakes and Brampton for advice on how to remove the dogs from the home, and how to care for them while the issue plays out in court.

No adoption options yet

Adair says the city doesn't actually own the dogs yet. The owners are still required to surrender the animals before the city can adopt them to other families.

"We work really hard to ensure all animals in our care and custody are provided with the highest level of care, regardless of what brought them there," Adair says. "There are a lot of questions about adoption and the future of these animals. I want to make it clear that it has to proceed through a court process before we can even consider those questions."

If the dogs are eventually released to the city and go up for adoption, Adair says the city would provide full background information to prospective owners.

The two dog owners face three charges each. Both are charged under the Animal Control Bylaw for permitting a dog to attack and for permitting a dog to run at large. The two owners also face the provincial charge of failing to exercise reasonable precautions to prevent a dog from biting or attacking a person or domestic animal.

The owners are set to appear in provincial court later this month.