STATEN ISLAND — A pit bull mix ordered euthanized after it killed a Chihuahua has been given a second chance — provided it attends anger management classes.
The city agreed that 7-year-old Caesar — blamed for the deaths of two dogs and a cat — will be saved from death if he undergoes about a month of training, the New York Post first reported.
Before Caesar can go home, he has to pass a test at the training facility he's housed at and the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen test from another trainer, a spokesman for the Department of Health said.
Owners Kristine and Douglas Panattieri also have to take a course on how to control Caesar before he goes home and put a muzzle on him whenever he's outside, their lawyer, Richard Rosenthal, said.
The couple could not be reached for comment.
The Pannatieris filed a lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court in August to stop the city from killing their dog after he was ordered euthanized after mauling a Chihuahua in New Dorp.
Rosenthal argued the pooch deserved a fair trial, but a judge ruled otherwise in September.
The owners filed an appeal against the city but dropped the suit and fired Rosenthal after the agreement, according to court records.
In May, Caesar escaped from the Panattieri's New Dorp yard, fatally mauled a Chihuahua named Charlie and left that dog's elderly owner with 16 puncture wounds, the New York Daily News reported.
Caesar was also blamed for the deaths of a Maltese in 2015 and a cat in 2010, the newspaper reported.
Despite this case being dropped, Rosenthal, dubbed "The Dog Lawyer," said he plans to redraft a federal suit against the city over their shelter conditions.
"This chapter of the suit may have gone away but the issue has not," said Rosenthal. "This is not over."
