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Dog Pardoned By Governor Could Be Trained For Sledding

Alaskan husky named Dakota, March 30, 2017, in Waterville, Maine. Gov. Paul LePage said he pardoned the dog from a death sentence levied at a court hearing last week, after it killed a neighbor's small pug in May 2016.
Karen Vance/Waterville Humane Society via AP
Alaskan husky named Dakota, March 30, 2017, in Waterville, Maine. Gov. Paul LePage said he pardoned the dog from a death sentence levied at a court hearing last week, after it killed a neighbor's small pug in May 2016.

WATERVILLE, Maine - A dog that was ordered to be euthanized despite a pardon issued by Maine’s governor could get a second chance at life as a sled dog.

The Waterville Morning Sentinel reports that a state prosecutor has agreed with the dog’s previous owner and the owners of two dogs it killed to send the animal to a training shelter in New Hampshire. But the dog’s current owner, who adopted the husky after the attacks but before the euthanization order, is not on board.

The prosecutor said Thursday that the dog, Dakota, is a good match for sledding because of her “high energy.”

Dakota became a celebrity after being pardoned by Republican Gov. Paul LePage on March 30. But the state prosecutor said the governor lacked the authority to do so.