Mayor Eric van Oosterhout does not intend to return the seized dog King to his owner. King, an American Bully XL, has previously been involved in a biting incident, Van Oosterhout’s spokesperson said. “In addition, the animal has been declared dangerous by experts and that weighs very heavily.”
With this decision, the municipality goes against the advice of the objections committee. Last month, he recommended withdrawing the seizure.
The last word about King has not yet been said. The dog’s owner has filed summary proceedings against the municipality of Emmen. According to the spokesperson, this happened recently. Based on the judge’s decision, the municipality will consider the dog’s future. Van Oosterhout noted during the last council meeting in January that euthanasia is a possible option.
The mayor took the decision last year to confiscate the male after a biting incident. The four-legged friend is said to have bitten a white shepherd while walking. King had already bitten a dachshund to death earlier last year. The decision to remove the animal from the owner was partly based on the fact that King had previously bitten a dachshund to death.
The owner appealed against the decision and the case was submitted to the objections committee at the end of December. The committee ruled that the municipality could not prove that King was not on a short leash or did not wear a muzzle. In addition, it was not clear to the committee what exactly happened on the day in question. There is a lack of camera images and concrete observations. The committee does believe that King approached the shepherd aggressively. But there is a lack of hard evidence, the committee said at the time.