send him back for regrooving

[Doug Millison]

Is it too much to hope that somebody might do this for "Morris"....



A court has ruled a dog that had been sentenced to death for barking
will instead undergo retraining to correct its behaviour.

Sam, an eight-year-old West Highland terrier, will still have to await
an appeal hearing against his sentence.

The death-row pet was released from the care of Aberdeen District Court
after his owner, William Shaw, from Aberdeen, agreed to have him
rehoused at a rehabilitation centre.

Brigitte Bardot joined a campaign to save Sam after Justice of the
Peace John Logan passed the death sentence last month.

The verdict followed a complaint from Mr Shaw's neighbour who said the
dog's incessant barking over many years was a nuisance.

A court statement issued after a private hearing said: "Mr Shaw has now
presented the court with a proposal that Sam should reside at the
National Canine Defence League re-housing centre at West Calder, Midlothian,
where he will be working with their in-house behaviouralist in the hope
that a rehabilitation programme can be established to prevent any
further nuisance.

"Mr Shaw has at last indicated a willingness to have his dog retrained
and because of this, the Justice, Mr Logan, was content to grant the
application."

Now Mr Shaw has to wait for the outcome of a hearing at the High Court
in Edinburgh to find out whether Sam will live or die.

Sam, bought by Mr Shaw for his wife who died eight years ago, had been
housed at a local cat and dog home since his sentence.



See this story on the web at
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_420841.html



Doug Millison - Writer/Editor/Web Editorial Consultant
millison at online-journalist.com
www.Online-Journalist.com