Whitehorse death-row dog can be managed: expert
Trevor, the Whitehorse shelter dog at the centre of a Yukon Supreme Court case, has won another reprieve, pending a rehabilitation plan from an expert who says the dog's anti-social behaviour can be managed.
The fate of the Rottweiler-shepherd cross has been before the court since late July, when he was slated to be destroyed at the Whitehorse pound because he was deemed dangerous.
Humane Society Yukon has pushed to have the dog given another chance.
On Tuesday, Dr. Shelley Breadner, a B.C. animal behaviour specialist, told the court that Trevor's anti-social and dangerous behaviour is a lifetime condition that cannot be cured. But with the right owner, Trevor can be managed, Breadner said.
Supreme Court Justice Ron Veale ruled Breadner's positive assessment was enough to give Trevor another chance at adoption.
"That's all we been looking for is not a death sentence," Kevin Sinclair, who first championed Trevor's case in court, told CBC News outside the courthouse.
"He could be on death row the rest of his life, but he basically said he is trainable, and it's a good day."
Trevor was rescued from an abusive home early this year, when he was found with a collar ingrown in his neck. He was cared for at the humane society's Mae Bachur Animal Shelter until May, when he was adopted.
But in July, the dog was surrendered to the city pound after attacks on people.
Sinclair and the humane society then won a court injunction that prevented Trevor from being destroyed until Breadner finished an independent assessment of the dog's behaviour.
It is now up to Breadner to develop a rehabilitation plan, which would lay out, among other things, what kind of owner would be best suited for Trevor.
City officials told the court they do not want Trevor to be released outside city limits. But officials with the humane society said putting the dog in a rural home might be the best bet.
"We have had a number of people offer to take him — people who are very experienced with big dogs, unruly dogs, brat dogs — and many of them aren't in the city of Whitehorse," society board member Rachel Westfall said.
Until Veale sees Trevor's rehabilitation plan from Breadner, the dog will stay on a short leash at the Mae Bachur shelter and must be muzzled when in public.
The case returns to court next week.