Dog Handed Death Sentence by Dead Woman Spared

Bela, the German shepherd scheduled to be euthanized Tuesday in accordance with the provisions of a will, has been spared for now. (Photo via Twitter)

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Bela, the dog handed a death sentence in his owner’s will, has received a stay of execution of sorts.

Bela’s death was an almost certain conclusion in – judging from the reaction on social media – a woman-bites-dog tale that began when an Indiana woman wrote in her will that she wanted the dog cremated and their ashes commingled when she died.

Attorney Doug Denmure said that was the most practical of a few options Connie Lay’s will spelled out regarding Bela’s fate. In a story on WXIX-TV, Denmure wasn’t specific about what other possible arrangements could be made to spare Bela’s life.

Outcry over Bela’s fate spread across the country on the same day New York officials were sparing dogs the indignity of being pierced and tattooed. Gov. Andrew Cuomo called such practices ”animal abuse, pure and simple,” and signed legislation to “end these cruel and unacceptable practices in New York once and for all.”

And then the condemned dog’s story broke the Internet. And – at the speed it takes to hit the “share” button on Facebook, Twitter and news websites like Patch.com – Bela got a little of that New York reverence for companion animals.

Within a couple of hours of the story’s widespread circulation, Bela – a 9-year-old male German shepherd originally identified as Bella, a female – received a reprieve. And just in time, too. The dog had been scheduled to die by euthanasia on Tuesday afternoon.

As it turns out, one of those other options in Lay’s will was for Bela to go to a no-kill sanctuary in Utah run by the Best Friends Animal Society, as long as enough money can be raised for the dog’s care. Denmure is skeptical lifetime care at the sanctuary is financially feasible for Lay’s estate, but Bela won’t be euthanized in the short-term, he said.

Related:

• Dead Woman Hands Death Sentence to Dog

The best way to donate money for Bela’s care remains unclear, but Radio station WSCH reports that a friend of Lay’s entrusted to make final decisions for the dog is in contact with the sanctuary, and people are making appeals directly on the sanctuary’s Facebook page.

Shelter Merely Boarding Bela

As the #SaveBela hashtag trends on Twitter, social media had not been kind to the attorney, his dead client or even PAWS of Dearborn County, the animal rescue group in Indiana that has been sheltering Bela since Lay’s death a few days ago.

In a statement clarifying what it could and couldn’t do on the condemned dog’s behalf, the PAWS Humane Center said Bela was the property of Lay’s estate, and not the organization. PAWS had been criticized for not doing more to save the dog.

Here’s the full statement:

“You may have seen the news story regarding Bela, the German Shepherd dog being housed at PAWS Humane Center. We would like to take a moment to clarify the circumstances of Bela’s stay at our Center.

“Legally, Bela is considered the property of the estate of the deceased person and not PAWS Humane Center. He is only being housed and cared for at our Center while legal proceedings with the estate are being finalized.

“PAWS has no legal right or control over his outcome. Bela will not be euthanized at our facility, either by PAWS staff or the Dearborn County Animal Control Officers. If a euthanization decision is reached by the estate, then it will be the responsibility of the estate to make those arrangements elsewhere.”

Attorney: Adoption Isn’t An Answer

Numerous people have offered to adopt Bela, but that apparently isn’t an option.

A behavioral log Lay kept for the year before her death indicated Bela “has been a dangerous dog in some respects,” Denmure said, and Lay worried “about the dog being around other people and not (being) fit to be trusted around children.”

Readers had plenty to say about Patch’s original story about the ticking clock on Bela’s life.

“Insanity,” one person wrote. “I can’t imagine anyone actually wanting their healthy dog to be euthanized. And, yes, it should be illegal.”

“Shameful and selfish decision,” wrote another. “... I would adopt the dog out on the condition it be put down upon dire illness or extreme old age. Point being, the dog is put down at some date as directed in the will, just not now. …”

“Criminal,” someone else wrote. “If this goes through, the doctor and the lawyer should be arrested for animal cruelty.”

Reader: Dead Woman Did the Right Thing

At least one reader stuck up for Lay, saying that when the economy tanked in 2008, so did the foundations that help rescue groups stay financially solvent.

“... The rescue organizations are tapped out,” the individual wrote. “They are full, running out of money and exhausted. It’s so easy to say ‘Let the rescue organizations take them in,’ but do you give some of your time to them? Do you drop by to see if they have enough food to get through the month? Help to exercise the dogs? Give money to pay for vaccinations or to spay and neuter?

“... The woman who left instructions with her lawyer to put her dog down was responsible and loving and seeing to it that her dog did not suffer from the negligence of others. I’ve put many dogs down. They are sedated, they go to sleep, and then they are given the medication that stops their heart. Its not like gassing them at a kill shelter. They died in my arms, knowing that they were loved.

“It’s one thing to scream and pull your hair and say this is not fair, but, its another thing to step in, roll your sleeves up and do something.”