A dangerous dog hearing will be held at the Didsbury provincial court August 19 to determine the future of two Akitas that attacked a couple and their pet beagle outside of Didsbury July 26.The dogs' owner met with Mountain View County bylaw officer Amanda Stuhl last week to discuss what options she had.Stuhl said she met last Tuesday evening with the dogs' owner and came up with the decision for the dangerous dog hearing and behavioural testing on the dogs who are currently being housed in an animal services facility in Calgary.ìThis allows animals services to do behavioural testing. They will make up a report and let us know if they absolutely need to be euthanized or if they can live under strict conditions Ö now it will be based on fact. Not emotion,î said Stuhl.Greg Steinraths, manager of strategic services with animal bylaw services in Calgary, said the behavioural testing will be completed by a member of the animal services staff trained in behavioural testing.ìWe'll make some recommendations on their profile, (whether there) is an opportunity for successful integration or not and we'll hand that over to Officer Stuhl.î He said the testing will look at things such as resources guarding, food aggression and the potential of getting along with other animals. ìIs theirs an aggressive nature, are they passive?î he said.On July 26 a 27-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man as well as their dog were returning home to their rental suite southwest of Didsbury when the Akitas inside their garage attacked them. The Akitas belonged to owners that rented out the second half of the house and they were housed in the garage with their newborn pups. The couple, who must enter the garage to gain access to their suite, had been in contact with the dogs and their puppies on a daily basis leading up to the attack, said Stuhl.The female Akita lunged at the woman and the man tried to stop the attack when the male dog attacked him. The two, along with the beagle were able to escape from the man door after beating off the dogs with a pipe. The two suffered severe bites to their upper torsos, forearms, hands and thighs. The dog had stents placed into his body to let out the swellingStuhl spoke with the couple last Wednesday and said the two are still recovering and visiting the hospital frequently. She said the man's stitches had become infected and he spent up to four hours in one visit getting cared for with new stitches.The female Akita is with her puppies in Calgary. Stuhl said based on a visit Wednesday the female seems to be ìcoming around.î ìThe dogs are doing OK. Ö They are coping and don't seem too stressed. The female is coming around and taking treats. The male, you can't get near him.îThe owners are facing charges under a county bylaw with two counts of dog biting a person and one count of causing damage to another dog. The man and the woman, whose names have not been released by Stuhl, are expected to appear before Didsbury provincial court September 2.
