Judge spares dog from 'death sentence'

The Court of Appeal yesterday spared Bruce, a two-year-old pointer, a "death sentence" imposed by the Magistrates' Court and ordered instead that it stays in a sanctuary for the rest of its life.

Bruce's owner, Sergio Farrugia, appealed against a magisterial decision fining him Lm20 and ordering him to have the dog "destroyed".

Bruce had bitten a boy inflicting light injuries during a party held at Mr Farrugia's house.

However, in deciding on the appeal, Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono considered the fact that the dog is not inherently dangerous but that it was likely to have become a bit nervous with children running around and perhaps pestering it during the party.

In light of the fact that the law is not clear about the handling of such a case, the judge considered that putting the dog to sleep would be excessive especially because the bitten boy and his mother testified that they would not like to see the dog put down.

The judge ordered Police Inspector Ramon Mercieca to seek a place where the dog can be placed.

Following a number of attempts with a number of sanctuaries, the Abandoned Animals Association's Freddie Fenech agreed to take the dog under his care.