Updated: Dead Woman Hands Death Sentence to Dog

A German shepherd named Bella is scheduled to die Tuesday after her owner prescribed her death in her will. (Photo courtesy of FOX19Now/Cincinnati)

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Updated at 5:23 p.m. EST

Bella lives!

After the story of a dog sentenced to death in her owner’s will went viral, Connie Lay’s attorney has issued a stay of execution of sorts.

Attorney Doug Denmure told WXIX-TV that a second option in the dead Dearborn County, IN, woman’s will was to send Bella to the Best Friends Animal Society, a no-kill sanctuary in Utah.

Denmure said Bella’s life will be spared if enough money can be raised for her care. It wasn’t immediately clear how the money would be raised.

Our Earlier Report

Americans love their pets. In New York, they love companion animals so much they pushed legislation that prohibits pet owners from piercing and tattooing them.

In Indiana, you could say Connie Lay loved her dog to death.

She’s trying to, anyway.

Lay, a Dearborn County, IN, woman who died a few days ago, gave Bella, her healthy German shepherd, a death sentence in her final will. Her attorney, Doug Denmure, told WXIX-TV in Cincinnati that Lay offered several options about what should happen to the dog after she died, but the dog joining her eternity was the most practical.

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• Dog Handed Death Sentence by Dead Woman Spared

He didn’t spell out the other options.

The scenario has set up a howl among animal welfare advocates, who are racing against a ticking clock to spare Bella’s life, scheduled to end sometime Tuesday.

Concerned animal lovers are posting on Facebook and asking PAWS of Dearborn County to use its sway to obtain a stay of execution.

On Facebook, Bella’s allies are suggesting that Bella could suddenly run away, or that the attorney could simply ignore the dead woman’s wishes. Volunteers at the shelter describe Bella as smart, well-trained and sweet. They want to give her a good home, but Denmure says his hands are tied.

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There’s some precedence in Indiana. A Terra Haute woman who had cancer made provisions for her guide dog to be euthanized and buried alongside her, again to the chagrin of animal-welfare advocates.

“Animals are considered property and that’s what the point of a will is to dispose of property upon one’s death. You have that conflicting though with rules that say you have to treat animals humanely,” legal analyst Mike Allen told the television station.

Bella is scheduled to die on the same day that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill that prohibits the unnecessary piercing and tattooing of cats, dogs and all other pets.

“This is animal abuse, pure and simple,” Cuomo said. “I’m proud to sign this common sense legislation and end these cruel and unacceptable practices in New York once and for all.”