A woman whose dog killed another animal in an alleyway in Lachine, Que., is asking a Superior Court judge to throw out a euthanasia order issued by the City of Montreal, arguing that officials didn’t take the circumstances into account when they issued the order.
In August, Marylou Trahan’s husky-German shepherd mix, Zuri, mauled a smaller dog owned by a neighbour.
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The smaller dog died shortly after the incident, leading the city to issue a euthanasia order under its new animal control bylaw. Trahan, who now lives with her mother in Saint-Constant, has stayed that order pending the outcome of her appeal.
“I think, with the circumstances, they cannot just put that dog down if they don’t know exactly what happened,” she said.
According to Trahan, her next-door neighbour saw Zuri through her fence and asked if his large dog could play with her pet.
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She said yes and went inside to get Zuri’s muzzle. Trahan told Global News that the neighbour opened her backyard gate and let Zuri out while she was still inside.
The neighbour also brought a third, smaller dog she hadn’t seen to play with the other pets, Trahan said. Zuri mauled that animal before she could get outside to intervene.
When contacted by Global News via email, a City of Montreal spokesperson defended the bylaw and added that the city was confident it would prevail in court.
The owner of the deceased dog declined to comment. Trahan hopes to hear about a court date for the week of Sept. 24.