Pitbulls found at Maltby Elementary may be put down, county says

Two pitbulls found at Maltby Elementary School last Friday are the same ones that attacked a 13-year-old girl in September, the Snohomish County Auditor's office confirmed Tuesday.

A man had told KIRO 7 on Monday that he believed the dogs were the same ones who attacked the girl, his daughter.

The dogs have been labeled "dangerous," and the owners surrendered ownership of them, meaning the dogs are on a 72-hour hold by the county, the auditor's office said. After the 72-hour period is up -- it isn't entirely clear yet when it began -- the pitbulls will be handed over to the Everett Animal Shelter for a decision on their fate. They could be put down.

If the owners were to have kept the dogs, they would have needed insurance, new fencing and muzzles any time the dogs were off-property, the auditor's office said.

Asked why the dogs weren't seized after they attacked the girl in September, the auditor's office said that the girl's family called the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, but that it wasn't until a week later that animal control received a call from a deputy. The animal control officer said that no adults saw the attack, so it was difficult to determine whether the dogs meant to hurt the girl or if they were just playing around.