Minneapolis Pit Bull on Death Row: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com
A pit bull who protected his owner from an abusive ex-husband has paid the ultimate price for his bravery. Putz, who was the subject of an intensive court battle, was euthanized on Saturday.
Putz was seized by Minneapolis Animal Care and Control from owner Debra Peters in October 2011 following a domestic dispute that resulted in Putz biting Peters’ ex-husband. According to Peters, it was a defensive act that came after the ex-husband spat in her face and then turned on Putz.
The man suffered injuries to one wrist.
When Minneapolis ACC officials assessed Putz, they declared him a candidate for euthanasia for three reasons: he was territorial, he didn’t sit on command and he didn’t respond to the vet’s touch. An ACC representative also asserted that if Putz had bitten once, there was a greater chance that he could bite again.
The Coalition for Animal Rights Education intervened on Peters’ behalf, as did several animal welfare groups who attempted to get Putz a place at a sanctuary. Now a Facebook page, “Justice for Putz”, has been established in the dog’s memory.
Allison Landa is a Berkeley, Calif.-based writer whose work has been featured in Salon Magazine, Clean Sheets, Word Riot, Cherry Bleeds and Defenestration. She has been a resident at The MacDowell Colony, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts and The Julia and David White Artists’ Colony. She earned her MFA in creative writing at St. Mary’s College of California and blogs at The Volcano. She and her husband are owned by two Lab-Australian Shepherd puppies, Jack and Maizie.
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