Governor of the US state of Marine has pardoned a dog on death row in the US for 'murdering' a fellow canine and attacking another.

Governor Paul LePage wielded his executive authority to show mercy to an unlikely beneficiary -- a dog named Dakota.

Dakota, a husky, had escaped from a previous owner about a year ago and killed a small dog, leading to her designation as a "dangerous dog".

Dakota later broke out of court-ordered confinement to bite a neighbour's dog, which survived.

Another escape led to her capture by an animal control officer, who brought Dakota to the Waterville Humane Society shelter in February as a stray. A family that knew Dakota as a puppy subsequently adopted her.

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Unbeknown to her new owners, the local district attorney brought Dakota's case before a judge on March 21. The judge ruled Dakota should be euthanised, WGME-TV reported.

LePage was alerted to the case by a board member for the Humane Society in Waterville. He issued a full pardon for Dakota on Thursday, apparently the first of its kind.