ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — The two dogs blamed for killing a cat in Anne Arundel County have been released!
Back in January of 2021, the dogs, Lucy, an Akita, and Odin, an American Bully, escaped out their front floor and allegedly attacked and killed a neighbor’s cat.
Anne Arundel County Animal Care and Control seized the dogs and later found them ‘vicious,’ meaning they would be euthanized but numerous appeals kept them in limbo.
The family said Odin and Lucy are two beloved dogs that had never shown signs of aggression, had been around cats and loose chickens, and had no bite histories. Animal control said they had no prior incidents on record with either dog.
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The owner appealed the orders but the Anne Arundel County Animal Matters Commission sided with animal control.
He again appealed to the Anne Arundel County Board of Appeals, who upheld the ‘vicious' order. His last chance to save his dogs was to appeal to the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court and Monday, a judge reversed the decision and sent it back to the Board.
Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman issued a statement on Friday, calling for the dogs to be returned to their owner.
He stated that is first question to the County Law Office was how dogs with no history of aggression toward people be deemed "vicious" and sentenced to euthanasia?
“The attorneys reminded me of an incident that took place here in 2017, before I had even thought about running for office," Pittman said. "A small dog named Lilo was killed by an at-large dog who was later allowed to return to its owner. In response, the County Council unanimously passed Bill 59-17, or Lilo’s Law, to prevent dogs that kill other domesticated animals from returning to communities. A “vicious animal” designation was created and a mandate that a vicious animal be euthanized was established."
Pittman continued in his statement stating that after reading through the evidence, he was convinced these dogs were not vicious and that they should be returned home.
After the case was sent to the Board of Appeals, County Executive Pittman asked the office to step in and do what they could to get the dogs back to their owners.
"I understand that an agreement has been reached to downgrade the designation to dangerous, so Odin and Lucy will be home very soon," he continued.“We may never know all the facts of the Odin and Lucy case, but as a person whose life has been spent advocating for animal welfare, I am concerned about the rigid standards established by the law as it was written in 2017."
According to the owner, Lucy has been returned home and the family is on their way to pick Odin up from the vet.
“Once Odin and Lucy are back with their family, I will ask my staff to do a thorough review of this case and propose a way forward that protects both public safety and the welfare of the animals we cherish," Pittman said.
