Two Akita dogs that attacked a man and woman on a Didsbury-area property last month will be destroyed, Crown prosecutor Dave Burroughs said in Didsbury provincial court Friday.A dangerous dog hearing scheduled for Friday was abandoned after the dogs' owner agreed to have the animals surrendered to animal services, he said.On July 26, a 27-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man, as well as their pet beagle, were returning home to their rental suit southwest of Didsbury when the Akitas, a male and female, in a garage on the property attacked them.The female Akita lunged at the woman and when the man tried to intervene, the male dog attacked him. The man and woman only escaped the garage after repeatedly striking the animals with a pipe.Both the man and the woman suffered extensive bite wounds on their arms, torsos, hands and thighs. The couple's beagle received severe bite wounds.The Akitas belong to the owner of the rental suite.Following the attacks, the dogs, as well as six newborn puppies, were taken to a holding facility in Calgary.Neither the victims nor the dogs' owner attended Friday's court session.Mountain View County bylaw officer Amanda Stuhl said she spoke to the victims, who have asked not to be named, after news arrived late Wednesday that the dangerous dog hearing would not be held.ìThey seem to be happy with the result and they are happy that they didn't have to come to court today,î said Stuhl. ìThey were relieved. I was expecting to see a hearing today, but this is a good resolution.îBehavioural testing was conducted by animal services in Calgary on both the male and female dog in anticipation of Friday's dangerous dog hearing.ìThe assessments concluded that both dogs needed to be euthanized,î she said. ìIt was too much of a risk to release them into the public. The assessment looked at various different things. They put them in different scenarios and spent time with the dogs to try and get the dogs to trust them. They just couldn't get the dogs to trust them.ìThey will be assessing the pups as well, but they said from handling them over the last few weeks that the pups are totally good to go to homes.îProsecutor Burroughs said the male dog will be destroyed immediately and the female will be destroyed after the pups have been weaned, which could occur within the next several weeks.The dogs' owner still faces three charges under Mountain View County's animal control bylaw: two counts of allowing a dog to bite a person and one count of allowing a dog to cause damage to property (the beagle).The owner will be back in Didsbury court on Sept. 2 to answer to those charges, which each carries a maximum fine of $10,000 and/or six months in jail.
