A Burbank family is fighting to save their dog that is set to be euthanized after it bit their neighbor in what the family says was self-defense.
The owners of 8-year-old Conan are appealing the city’s decision to euthanize their pet. They insist the pooch is not dangerous but instead was reacting to a neighbor who they claim has been “tormenting” their dog for the past year.
“Just give us a chance to prove he is a good boy,” Silvia Franco said. “Maybe give us options of what we can do.”
The bite happened in January when Franco and her dog were walking in an alleyway. They were then approached by a neighbor, which prompted Conan to react and bite her arm.
“Just screaming at Conan and screaming at me,” Franco recalled.
The dog owner said her pooch recognized the neighbor, who is accused of disturbing and taunting Franco’s pet often.
“That was him protecting Silvia,” said Nelson Grande, Franco’s husband. “(It was) an accident, definitely. It shouldn’t have happened.”
Since the bite, the neighbor has sued the couple and the city of Burbank for damages. During a meeting in July, the city deemed Conan as dangerous and ordered him to be euthanized.
“When they said that, it’s like giving up your child to go get killed,” Grande said. “It hurts your heart.”
According to Burbank law, no animal should be declared dangerous or vicious if it was protecting a person from an unjustified attack or if there was teasing, tormenting, abusing or assaulting of the animal.
“If a dog is responding to teasing or torturing or provocation and responds like a dog, and in a relatively proportionate manner, then I don’t think that dog qualifies as dangerous,” said Dr. Jim Crosby, a canine behavior and aggression expert.
He said he agreed with the couple in that their dog is not a dangerous animal.
“I don’t see a dog that needs to be killed,” Crosby said. “I don’t know why the city of Burbank is proceeding with this.”
The city said it could not comment on the matter due to pending litigation. The neighbor who was bitten by Conan refused to comment.
A hearing on the case is scheduled to take place Friday.