Facebookers seek to commute dog’s death sentence

[The Straight Story]

Facebookers seek to commute dog’s death sentence

FREETOWN — Skippy, a golden retriever who bit a year-old girl, has been ordered euthanized, but the dog’s owner has not given up on trying to save his pet’s life, in an effort that has turned into a Facebook frenzy.

“I love that dog, and I know that he’ll probably never come back here, but I have to do as much as I can to save him,’’ said Thomas Locke, standing at his front door yesterday. As he spoke, his granddaughter Jordan, the victim, ran back and forth through the living room behind him, laughing.

The dog’s biting and scratching of the little girl in two incidents was discussed during selectmen’s meetings. News of what happened on Tanglewood Drive traveled through town and beyond, sparking a “Free Skippy’’ Facebook page, along with concern for children in Locke’s neighborhood. Thousands of people have voiced support for Skippy on Facebook and asked that he be spared.

Town officials have said that Skippy has a vicious disposition, which led him to lash out twice at Jordan inside her grandfather’s ranch-style house. The first time, in October, the dog bit her on the face, causing a laceration that required a dozen stitches, according to court records.



http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/02/23/facebookers_seek_to_commute_dogs_death_sentence/