Washington:
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.
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.
