Put down Onion: Killer dog case a waste of the court’s time

Another sure sign that this country’s pet obsession is going off the rails: The Nevada Supreme Court heard 50 minutes of arguments Wednesday about a Henderson dog that killed a 1-year-old boy.

Countless criminals have commanded less of the justice system’s time than Onion, the 120-pound mixed breed that killed Jeremiah Eskew-Shahan last year. It was a tragic attack that unfolded when the boy fell on the sleeping dog, prompting the animal to bite the toddler’s head. Elizabeth Keller, Onion’s owner and the boy’s grandmother, surrendered the dog to Henderson animal control officers the day of the attack. Henderson officials were prepared to carry out the proper response: euthanizing Onion.

Enter the busybodies from the New York-based Lexus Project. The group began pulling out all the stops to spare Onion’s life and let him live out his days at a Colorado sanctuary. Lexus Project representatives and scores of other animal advocates have made all sorts of excuses for Onion, calling the attack accidental and absolving the dog from blame — as though anyone can speak to an animal’s intent or see into its soul. Onion had not attacked anyone previously, they claim.

But when a dog — no matter the breed, no matter how loved — kills a child, there can be no second chance. The risks to the public are simply too great. Henderson is not seeking to euthanize Onion as punishment. It’s a matter of public safety and liability. Onion can’t be around people again.

The issues before the Supreme Court relate to whether the Lexus Project has standing to challenge Henderson’s decision to euthanize Onion. District Court ruled the group does not. Lexus Project general counsel and co-founder Richard Rosenthal told justices the transfer of Onion’s ownership from Ms. Keller to the city of Henderson was not done according to procedure and took place under duress.

For heaven’s sake, the woman’s dog had just killed her grandson. It will cause her duress for the rest of her life. That she subsequently transferred ownership of Onion to the Lexus Project is moot. Onion was no longer her dog.

Considering the Lexus Project sees itself as an agent of mercy and justice on behalf of animals, it’s an unfortunate irony that its actions have caused Onion so much suffering. For more than 14 months, Onion has lived in a large cage at the Henderson Animal Care and Control facility. Is the Lexus Project really going to keep the dog confined for another year or more while it appeals when no one — no one — disputes the fact that Onion bit a small boy to death?

This case never should have made it to District Court, much less the Supreme Court. Our love of animals can’t be allowed to trump common sense. For everyone’s sake, including Onion’s, justices should let Henderson put the dog down.