A New York-based animal rights group has 30 days to find a rehabilitation facility for an Arizona dog.
According to ABC 15 Arizona, Mickey the pit bull was sentenced to life in a shelter Tuesday following an outcry to save the dog from euthanasia.
A Phoenix judge declared Mickey guilty in the Feb. 20 attack of 4-year-old Kevin Vicente-who was left with a broken jaw and torn eye socket while in the care of his babysitter.
Municipal Court Judge Deborah Griffin demanded the dog be neutered, micro-chipped, and rendered dangerous so that “there would be absolutely no possibility of the animal ever doing this to someone again.”
Now the dog’s owner and the Lexus Project animal activist group is in search of a center where Mickey would have to spend the rest of his life away from society.
However, this verdict was good news for many dog lovers who have been on Mickey’s side since the story first reached major news coverage.
YouTube video petitions, candlelight vigils, a Facebook page titled “Save Mickey,” and T-Shirts dedicated to the pit pressured the court in protecting Mickey’s life.
The babysitter’s girlfriend, who initially filed a vicious-dog court petition, said that Mickey was instinctively aggressive and had killed one of her dogs before.
Animal supporters nationwide believe that only two people were accountable for the attack.
They argue that the owner-whose property displayed “Beware of Dog” signs-was responsible for Mickey’s vicious behavior and the babysitter was guilty of poor supervision.
Judge Griffin too determined that both parties were to blame for the unfortunate events that took place that day.
Kevin’s mother Floridalma Vicente told reporters through a Spanish interpreter, how disturbing it was to see people “[place] more value on an animal than on a child.”
However, donations from around the world have been sent to the Vicente family in efforts to show support for the little boy who may have to face years of reconstructive surgery.
As for Mickey, he’s currently locked away in a cage at the Maricopa County Animal Control and Care Center.
Image via YouTube