KELOWNA, B.C. — A B.C. provincial court judge has ordered the destruction of a 16-month-old pitbull after what she said was a "savage and persistent" attack on one of its owners.
A Kelowna court heard the male dog named Loki had a long history of running loose and being aggressive when he bit Jennifer Heitzmann on her arms and legs and broke a bone in her hand last November.
During a three-day trial in Kelowna, Heitzmann told the court her partner Rick Bellar was being attacked by two men and she tried to hold the dog back.
But in a ruling issued this week, Judge Jane Cartwright rejected that explanation, saying evidence showed the attack happened while the couple was having an argument.
She described the wounds as "deep, bloody and gruesome" and said there is "no other option" than to have the dog destroyed in 30 days if the owners don't appeal the order — which Bellar said he plans to do.
Cartwright also banned the couple from owning or residing with any dog that has been declared aggressive or dangerous by an animal control officer for three years.
"It would be irresponsible in the extreme to release Loki to anyone, much less the respondents, as they have proven that they are unable to control Loki," she said. (Global)
