Thousands call on council not to put down stray dog who is ‘unfairly on death row’
Written by News on 02/04/2019
Thousands of people have called for a London council not to put down a stray dog that has a “loving home waiting for her”.
Ellie, a mongrel, was found emaciated after she ran into the Docklands Equestrian Stables in Beckton, Newham, on 14 February.
Stables manager Terry Minns contacted Newham Council’s warden service and spent the night feeding the hungry animal, the Evening Standard reported.
A warden collected Ellie the next day and Mrs Minns said she would give the dog a home if no one claimed her.
The council later informed Mrs Minns that Ellie was a “dangerous” breed and would be euthanised.
The stables manager hired a lawyer who has taken out an emergency order in the High Court twice to stop the council putting Ellie down.
The lawyer has said the dog is “unfairly, on death row”.
An independent assessor has said Ellie is not a dangerous breed banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
A judicial review is now to set take place to decide the dog’s fate.
Mrs Minns, who lives with her husband and daughter in Beckton, believes the dog is part-Staffordshire bull terrier and may have been used for breeding.
She told Sky News: “When Ellie arrived at the stables she was just a scared, hungry dog – she would never hurt anyone.
“I don’t understand why the council want to put her down. I think that maybe they had it wrong in the first place and are now simply refusing to back down.
“We have a loving home waiting for her, and I have even offered to pay for her rehabilitation.”
More than 8,000 people have signed a petition calling on Newham Council to release Ellie back to Mrs Minns.
A GoFundMe page set up to pay for legal fees has collected more than £3,200 in one month.
Solicitor James Parry said: “We have taken out an emergency order to stop the council killing Ellie on two occasions.
“We are now working towards judicial review proceedings.
“An expert found her frightened but not dangerous. She is, unfairly, on death row. My client has offered her a loving home.”
He added that two charities have offered to rehabilitate the dog before she is rehomed with Mrs Minns.
A Newham Council spokeswoman said: “This case is before the courts so we are limited in what we can say.
“We can assure people however that the dog is well and being cared for by skilled and highly trained officers and no action or decision about its future will be made until after the legal proceedings are concluded.
“Newham has a legal duty to protect residents and the public at large from potentially aggressive and dangerous dogs.”
(c) Sky News 2019: Thousands call on council not to put down stray dog who is ‘unfairly on death row’
