The three dogs that attacked a 25-year-old woman and two children, aged six and three, in the Moni industrial area on Sunday are to be euthanised, sources said on Wednesday — prompting outrage from animal rights groups, who blame the authorities for failing to enforce existing laws.

Rights for Animals Rescue Cyprus expressed its “rage and disappointment” at developments following the incident and demanded answers from the authorities.

“We are saddened and outraged by this incident. The long-standing indifference of the authorities to impose the existing legislation before there are victims, obliges us to once again speak out publicly,” the organisation said.

The dogs’ owners — aged 43 and 36 — were remanded on Monday to facilitate investigations. The dogs were taken to a veterinarian.

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According to sources, the animals had been seen roaming the area frequently, with multiple complaints filed to police, the Veterinary Services and local authorities.

The rescue group said there were indications the dogs would be euthanised without proper, transparent and scientifically supported evaluations of the incident or the dogs’ behaviour.

“We refuse to remain silent before the repetition of the same tragic story: animals paying with their lives for the ignorance, negligence, misinformation and fear of responsibility — with duties assigned to unqualified and incompetent Veterinary Services officials who are dubbed ‘competent’ by the legislative authority,” the organisation said.

It acknowledged that breeds such as Pit Bulls and Dogo Argentinos are “extremely powerful, with very strong jaws,” but questioned whether the dogs had demonstrated truly aggressive behaviour in this case.

“If they were indeed aggressive, they would have mauled not only the woman but the children as well, within seconds,” the group said.

In this case, it added, the facts were different: “The six-year-old child was not injured, the three-year-old had only superficial injuries, the woman’s wounds were not life-threatening.”

“Just one aggressive dog of that size would have been enough to kill all three victims — even more so in a pack. If the dogs were in full attack mode, they would not have let their ‘prey’ escape. There are many examples of dogs that do not release their grip even when semi-unconscious, no matter how violently one tries,” the statement continued.

The organisation raised several questions, including whether Veterinary Services acted unilaterally in deciding on euthanasia, whether any protocol was followed, if the officers involved were properly trained, how the dogs were evaluated for danger, whether each dog was assessed individually, how banned breeds were imported and bred, and whether the case would have ended differently if someone had died.

It demanded the immediate suspension of the euthanasia process, a specialised behavioural evaluation of the dogs, publication of the protocols used, and criminal liability for those who failed to act in accordance with the law.

“We will not accept the continuous stigmatisation of the particular breeds when the state has failed to implement even the basic provisions of the law, blatantly ignoring us,” it added.

It concluded by wishing the injured woman a full and speedy recovery.

As a result of the attack on Sunday, the woman and the three-year-old child bore injuries to various parts of their bodies and were taken to Limassol general hospital by ambulance. The older child was not taken to hospital because the injuries were not so severe.

The three-year-old was later discharged. The woman underwent surgery to close her wounds and is no longer considered to be in danger.

Police investigations revealed the dogs had escaped from a fenced enclosure at their home, located about 600 metres from the scene. The animals were not microchipped and lacked the legally required ownership documentation, and were handed over to a veterinarian.