No decision was made Thursday in a Courtenay courtroom about two dogs facing death.
That's because a third alternative was presented to the judge, who will announce his decision Jan. 16 at 2 p.m.
Instead of ordering Newfoundland dogs Chum and Champ destroyed because they are dangerous or releasing them to their Black Creek owner Jacques Manseau, it was suggested the judge could order them returned to their breeder in Saskatchewan, who is willing to accept them — or to a third-party home in Comox.
The dogs were held for months at the Comox Valley SPCA while the court considered an application to destroy them that was brought forth by the Comox Valley Regional District in July.
The application arose from an incident in January in which it was alleged the dogs attacked a neighbouring Jack Russell terrier.
In a three-day hearing that began in March, court heard from various witnesses, including neighbours, former tenants and the regional district's animal control officer.
People from as far away as Texas and the United Kingdom became interested in the case, most defending the breed as docile and incapable of being aggressive.
One the dogs' owners, Edith Manseau, passed away in late October.