A dog deemed dangerous by a Courtenay judge 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 that provincial court Judge R. Sutton ruled to be dangerous following a vicious dog attack last January in Black Creek, has been approved to live with an anonymous owner within the jurisdiction of Nanaimo.
During a hearing last 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 which Sutton ruled was free of any conditions, is rehomed alongside Chum in Nanaimo.
Leigh Carter, general manager, public affairs and 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 public;
• Chum cannot be sold or transferred without approval by the local government;
• Chum cannot be within the boundaries of the Comox Valley Regional District, except for veterinary visits.
Carter said she was glad to see the case wrapped up quickly.
"The judge did grant a 30-day stay, and both parties could have waited but we really were trying to get (the case) wrapped up early, and everything fell into place with the new offer," she noted.
Manseau was present at the SPCA Friday and said the process had been a long fight.
"I promised three things to my wife when she passed away (late last year) 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."
Manseau's lawyer Rebeka Breder said the two dogs are reunited in a home with an owner who will take good care of them together.
"She is outside the CVRD jurisdiction in a private house with a wonderful owner who absolutely loves dogs, is a responsible dog owner, very knowledgeable and these two dogs can't be happier," she added.
Chum and Champ were taken by the CVRD on Jan. 26, 2012, and were being held at the Comox Valley SPCA following their seizure.
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