The owner of a large-breed dog that attacked twin sisters in December has withdrawn an application to keep the animal alive.
Yogi, a Rottweiler-husky cross, has been in the custody of the City of Richmond since the incident on Dec. 30.
Twin sisters Kati and Jessi Mather, 21, were walking the dog through a park with Jessi’s three-year-old son Jayden when they say Yogi suddenly turned on them.
Kati suffered more than 100 bites and a fractured bicep, and Jessi was also hurt. The young boy was unharmed.
The dog was seized by the City of Richmond, whose officials quickly applied to have it euthanized.
After the dog was taken into custody, Yogi’s owner argued that the dog’s life should be spared because the women, who call themselves “Twins that toke THC” on Instagram, did not have permission to remove the dog from his home.
An online petition asking the dog to be returned to Lucas MacNeil said the three-year-old dog had no history of aggression, and was tied to a tree when the attack happened.
The petition said the “anxious” dog was only defending itself after being struck on the head.
The city now says the dog’s owner, who had vowed to take the matter to the court, has dropped his opposition to their destruction order.
Spokesperson Ted Townsend said the owner has signed over the dog to the city, and it is arranging a final visit before it is killed.
After the attack, animal behaviorist Dr. Rebecca Ledger told CTV News it was one of the worst incidents she’d heard about in her career.
Ledger believed it’s likely there was something that sparked the attack.
“Generally it’s rare for dogs to attack out of the blue. Usually there is a history of anxiety and fear,” she told CTV News.
“Substance abuse can be an issue,” she said.
