Magistrate Jennifer Tregent said the two Bull Arabs and one staghound were “vicious and ferocious”.

The dogs’ owner Kyle Steven Bennett faced the Bendigo Magistrates Court on Tuesday on charges of dog attack causing serious injury, dog at large and failing to register a dog.

He is contesting the charges, arguing his dogs were provoked.

Prosecuting on behalf of the City of Greater Bendigo, Garry Quinn said Bennett’s neighbour saw two small dogs come onto her property on January 11.

Mr Quinn said Bennett’s three dogs followed a short time later, shaking and biting the small dogs.

He said the two small dogs required vet treatment, suffering bite marks to their chest and breathing problems.

The court heard that later the same day a woman saw one of the Bull Arabs in the front yard of her Panton Street home. Mr Quinn said the dog circled the woman’s car and snatched her small Jack Russell, “shaking it like a rabbit” and leaving the terrier in need of eight stitches.

He said this Bull Arab was impounded by the council, but that weekend Bennett broke into the pound and released his pet.

“He said he wouldn’t return the dog and that he had put it down,” Mr Quinn said.

“He stated he had destroyed all three dogs.”

But Ms Tregent said she didn’t believe the dogs had been destroyed.

“I can’t imagine someone going to criminal lengths to release the dog only to destroy it themselves – that doesn’t float with me,” she said.

Ms Tregent said she would be ordering the destruction of the dogs and she didn’t like Bennett’s chances of fighting the charges.

“If you choose to have guard dogs, and these ones are shown to be vicious and ferocious in their behaviour, you have to bear the responsibility if they run amok,” she said.

The case was listed for a half-day hearing on January 14 next year.