The dog in the centre of a destruction order was released from the Comox Valley SPCA Friday afternoon to a new home, under the condition it never lives within the jurisdiction of the Comox Valley Regional District.
Chum, a Newfoundland dog whom Provincial court Judge R. Sutton ruled to be dangerous following a vicious dog attack last January, has been approved to live with an anonymous owner within the jurisdiction of Nanaimo.
During a hearing Tuesday, lawyers for both the CVRD and the dog's owner Jacques Manseau argued for separate rehoming options. Sutton granted another 30-day stay, but both parties said they worked quickly to create a consent order which was approved by both sides.
The male dog Champ, who was also involved in the incident but who Sutton ruled was free of any conditions, is scheduled to be rehomed alongside Chum in Nanaimo.
Leigh Carter, general manager, public affairs & information systems for the Comox Valley Regional District, explained there are conditions to the consent order, which include Chum must be muzzled, leashed and under control when in the public; cannot be sold or transferred without approval by the local government; and cannot be within the boundaries of the Comox Valley Regional District, except for veterinary visits.
Manseau said the process had been a long fight.
"I promised three things to my wife when she passed away that (the dogs) would have a place to go, they would go together and the CVRD wouldn't put them down, and that's done," he added. "Let's not fight over a bad law, we should work together to get it changed - a better bylaw."
Chum and Champ were taken by the CVRD on Jan. 26, 2012, and were being held at the Comox Valley SPCA following their seizure.
See Wednesday's Comox Valley Record for more.