Advice: mayor must return dog King to owner

Mayor Eric van Oosterhout should not have confiscated the American Bully XL King. He should therefore reverse that decision.

This is how the municipal objections committee rules in the case about the dog King. This has now been passed on as advice to Van Oosterhout.

In October, the mayor of Emmer took the decision to confiscate the male. The four-legged friend is said to have bitten a white shepherd while walking. The decision to remove the animal from the owner was partly based on the fact that King had previously bitten a dachshund to death.

As a result, the animal was declared dangerous. King was allowed to go out alone, provided he was on a leash and fitted with a muzzle. According to the owner, King couldn’t have bitten because he was wearing the muzzle.

In December, the owner and the municipality faced each other during a hearing of the objections committee. After more than a month of deliberation, she believes that the municipality cannot prove that King was not on a short leash or did not wear a muzzle.

In addition, it is not clear what exactly happened on the day in question. The official reports do not include observations by investigating officers. Only second-hand statements.

No further camera images are available. There are photos, but they do not provide sufficient clarity. In short, it is the word of one person against another, according to the committee.

The committee does believe that King approached the shepherd aggressively. But there is a lack of hard evidence, according to the committee.

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