In an LA courtroom, the fate of a purportedly vicious canine swung dramatically when Judge Alison MacKenzie ruled that Conan, an 8-year-old pitbull and Labrador mix, wouldn't be facing the grim prospect of euthanasia and could return home with his owners, according to ABC7. The City of Burbank's earlier decision to label Conan as a danger after a biting incident in July was contested by the dog's owners, Nelson Grande and Sylvia Franco, who had brought a petition against the city's stark verdict on August 21.
In the court's mandate, Judge MacKenzie attached strings to Conan's release, detailing that Grande and Franco must ensure he is vaccinated, licensed and designated as vicious, and they must keep him leashed and muzzled when outside the property, this comes in addition to housing him in a secure enclosure to prevent any escape, as per the CBS News report. In July, the dog was deemed dangerously aggressive post the incident involving Deborah Drissi, the victim of the unfortunate bite, yet despite the alleged aggression the court found no strong evidence suggesting a significant threat to public health, safety, or welfare if Conan were spared.
Despite Franco's insistence to the court that Drissi had provoked their pet, leading to the attack, the judge refuted this claim, and evidence brought forth during the non-jury trial supported the victim's unprovoked experience, as recounted in a FOX LA article. The judge's ruling sparked enthusiasm among animal rights advocates; with Shira Scott Astrof expressing "profound gratitude" in a statement obtained by CBS News, praising the decision as a win not just for Conan but for every dog that might be ensnared by an unjustly rigid system.
The trial had its share of community interest as well, with former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva and his wife, Vivian, both testifying in support of Conan outside the courtroom, aligning themselves with the cause and spotlighting the broader concerns about pet welfare and ownership responsibilities, the preliminary facts of the case were reviewed by ABC7.
