Bolt was taken by Turlock  Animal Services after he bit two women in the face.

The injuries were serious, with one victim requiring more than $2,000 in medical care.

Assistant Turlock City Manager Ron Reid says a public hearing determined Bolt was vicious.

REID: "So the hearing officer heard both sides of it and looks to overall public safety if this dog was returned to the community, is the community unsafe?"

But this morning Bolt's owners will be in court in one last effort to save their dog.

And now, Reid says thousands of people have signed an online petition to save Bolt.

REID: "In this particular case it's been taken, for lack of a better term, a Facebook campaign and it's an outreach campaign, it appears to be a lot of interaction on Facebook."

By Friday more than 4,000 likes on Facebook to save the dog.