City of Greater Sudbury staff have seized two dogs who attacked another dog on Wednesday in Lively, forcing its owners to put the animal down.

In a statement, the city said the move was made for public safety.

“Following a dog attack on Wednesday which resulted in the euthanization of another dog, in the interests of public safety, the City has enacted provisions under provincial legislation and has seized two dogs responsible for the attack,” the municipality said in a statement. “The dogs are being held at the City’s animal shelter, pending a decision by the Court.

The City said staff members issued a vicious dog notice to the owners of the two dogs once an investigation into the incident had occurred; “however, recognizing the severity of the attack and the prior attack history of the dogs in question, the City invoked the provincial Dog Owners Liability Act. Under the authority of a Justice of the Peace, earlier (Saturday) morning the City laid charges and seized the dogs.

“The dogs will be held at the shelter until such time as a decision on the dogs’ future has been made by the courts.”

Terry Matthews told The Star earlier this week she had just put out her dog, Tonka (named for the yellow children’s toys) for a pee when she heard him whimpering.

"He was out there for five minutes and I thought, ‘OK, he wants to come back in,’ because I could hear a whimpering noise," she said. "I went out and those two dogs were (mauling him). It wasn’t very nice. I grabbed my plastic snow shovel and was trying to shoo the dogs away. My dog’s just lying there."

Tonka, a Norwegian elkhound, weighed about 55-60 pounds and was eight years old. He was a beloved member of the family, Matthews said.

"He got his name from the truck, because he was small but tough," she said.

The two dogs who attacked Tonka were bigger than him, Matthews said. One was a husky and the other, a bull mastiff.

"He’s lying there and trying to lift his head up, like ‘help me’ and I’m screaming and I have the snow shovel and I’m trying to get them off of him," she said. "They finally backed off enough. They were showing their teeth and snarling at me and trying to come at me, but I had the shovel and was screaming, so I think that kept them back a bit."

Wednesday’s tragedy was not the first time those two dogs attacked Tonka. The elkhound suffered injuries in July after the pair attacked him. He had to be taken to the vet. In addition to his bite injuries, Tonka was feverish and had an infection.

But on Wednesday, Matthews said they were not just biting Tonka, "they were ripping his skin off." It was a harrowing scene and in the end, the family had to euthanize their pet.

This week’s sad event was not the first time the mastiff and husky were aggressive with an animal, according to Lively residents. Vicky Naumenko was walking along Municipal Road 55 in September with her puggle (a beagle/pug mix), when she spotted the pair. They rushed her, but she yelled and the husky ran off.

"The mastiff wouldn’t leave us alone," Naumenko said Thursday. "There was nobody around and there was nowhere to go, and I had nothing with me. I couldn’t pick up my dog because he kept trying to duck behind me. I was shielding the dog with my body and pulling him by the leash. That dog just kept circling us really closely. It wasn’t growling or anything, but it wouldn’t leave us alone."

Eventually, a car passed by the scene.

"It came to the sidewalk and it kind of pushed the dog with the car away from us and just kept going, chasing it down the sidewalk to where it lives, around Meatbird," Naumenko explained. "Otherwise, I don’t know what would have happened. It was truly terrifying."

Naumenko never learned the identity of that Good Samaritan, but she is thankful for his or her intervention. Her puggle was not harmed.

She did not report the incident to bylaw officers until Wednesday evening. Initially, Naumenko believed it was an isolated incident, but realized after Tonka’s death the dogs are bullying other animals.

On Facebook, several other people have been reporting for the past couple of days their own run-ins with the husky and mastiff.

"That mastiff is freaken huge and he’s the aggressor," Naumenko said. "I certainly hope something gets done. … Someone is going to get seriously hurt and that dog didn’t need to be ripped apart."

On Wednesday evening, the City issued vicious dog orders for both dogs, which means they have to be leashed and muzzled when outdoors or on walks.