Hal Harris with one of his four pit bulls seized on Aug. 11. (CBC)

They say cats have nine lives, but three pit bulls in Surrey may have at least two each, if an animal lover and her lawyer get their way.

The three dogs, and a fourth pit bull puppy, were seized after they allegedly attacked several other dogs and people in Surrey and Vancouver Island over the past year.

And while the city of Surrey wants them put down, saying they are a danger to the public, at least one animal lover says she is willing to pay for an independent assessment to see if they can be rehabilitated and saved.

At a hearing on Thursday in Surrey Provincial Court to determine the fate of the dogs, lawyer Kirk Tousaw appeared to intervene on behalf of his client, Lauren Phillips, who wants to save the three dogs from euthanization.

"Our hope is that we can get an expert in to take a look at the dogs, to see if they can be rehabilitated, and if so place them in good homes so they don't have to be killed," said Tousaw.

Following the intervention by Tousaw, a second hearing to discuss the proposal was scheduled for Sept. 17. The fourth dog seized has already been put down, said Tousaw.

A lawyer for the City of Surrey told CBC News the staff would have to decide whether or not they would allow Phillips to pay for an independent assessment of the animals.

At the hearing, the dogs' owner Hal Harris was also served with a summons for 10 counts of dangerous dogs being at large, 10 counts of dangerous dogs without a muzzle and four counts of dogs not being licensed.

Harris is scheduled to appear in court again to face the new charges on Sept. 4.