AR-News: (CT - US) Governor steps in to aid golden retriever

[Snugglezzz at aol.com]

Governor steps in to aid pooch 
 
Associated Press  01/25/2004 
  
WATERTOWN — Gov. John G. Rowland, who is fighting for political survival, is lending a hand to a dog fighting for his life. 

Max, a golden retriever, bit his 12-year-old owner, Cory Pyon, in November. The Pyon family hoped to get him back, but the town’s animal control officer ordered him destroyed after a two-week quarantine.

The case now sits in the hands of state agriculture officials, who are investigating the case to see if the dog should be killed.

In a letter written Friday, Rowland said that while the dog bit the child, he believes "some of the facts surrounding this incident may be overblown, and that mitigating factors exist in relation to Max’s fate."

He’s asking state officials to move quickly.

Dr. Bruce Sherman, with the state’s agriculture department, said the state’s review of the case could be completed this week.

Sook Pyon, one of the dog’s owners, said Max was excited to see her this week when she went to visit him at the town’s dog pound.

She said she sang to him in her native Korean.

"I think this is a gift for Max. I can make him relax," she said. 
 
©New Haven Register 2004