Lawyers for Animal Rights said the dogs should not have been punished for their owner’s wrongdoing and negligence.

In a statement today, it questioned the department’s hastiness in putting the animals down.

It also asked why the department did not rehome the dogs or give them up for adoption to an experienced dog owner or trainer.

“Instead of killing the dogs, the department should have charged their owner with negligence. As stated in Section 33 of the Animal Welfare Act 2015, it is the owner’s responsibility to ensure the dogs are secure within his property and prevented from escaping,” it said.

The two Rottweilers were euthanised on Wednesday after the owner agreed to it. The owner had also apologised to the victims when visiting them in hospital.

The victims are nonetheless planning to take legal action against the owner.

The dogs had reportedly escaped from their enclosure before attacking the victims in the early hours of Tuesday morning.