Dog at centre of N.S. court battle showed no signs of aggression: trainer
HALIFAX, N.S. - An animal trainer who assessed a dog the municipality of Halifax has deemed dangerous and wants to euthanize says the mixed-breed mutt shows no signs of aggression and should not be put down.
Ted Efthymiadis said in provincial court Friday that he did several behavioural tests on Brindi, a six-year-old dog who's been in a shelter since she attacked another dog two years ago.
The trainer said he believes Brindi can be trained and should be muzzled if returned to her owner.
"She's a great dog and very trainable," Efthymiadis said in court after watching a video that showed him testing Brindi.
"For a dog that has been deemed by some people to be extremely dog-aggressive, I just didn't see it."
Brindi's owner, Francesca Rogier, was found guilty earlier this year of violating an animal control bylaw after Brindi rushed out of her yard and attacked a leashed dog strolling by Rogier's home.
She was convicted of being the owner of a dog that was running at large, owning a dog that attacked another animal and failing to comply with a muzzle order.
The charges came after a series of written warnings from the City of Halifax following other attacks by Brindi. One of the city's warnings required Brindi be muzzled.
Since then, Rogier has waged a costly legal fight to have her dog returned to her home in East Chezzetcook, a rural community on the outskirts of the city.
But the municipality argues that releasing the dog poses a risk to her neighbours and their pets.
"The Halifax Regional Municipality cannot take any other position than the destruction of the dog," attorney Geoff Newton said in court.
The judge could decide to have the animal put down as a threat to the public welfare, have it returned to its owner, or hand it to a third party for continuing care.
She said she would issue her decision on April 30.
But Newton said moving it to another location would merely transfer the problem.
Rogier, who is representing herself in court, said other cases in the Maritimes show dogs that have attacked people have not been put down.
In Hampton, N.B., a judge ruled a dog be muzzled when it is outdoors despite a town order that the animal be euthanized for biting a woman last summer.
Rogier also suggested the Halifax Regional Municipality has a poor record when it comes to euthanization.
She said from January 2007 to March 2010, 31 dogs were euthanized in the city.
When asked by Rogier if Brindi should be killed, Efthymiadis said: "Absolutely not."
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