Dog On Death Row? Maine Governor Paul LePage Pardons Siberian Husky On Death Row

A 4-year-old Siberian husky, Dakota, who was sentenced to death by an Augusta District Court last year, was pardoned by Governor Paul LePage in Maine. The court had ordered Dakota to be euthanized because she broke her previous confinement order, which was put in place after she fatally attacked another dog, local media reported.

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In February 2016, Dakota escaped from her owner's house and attacked a smaller dog, killing it. After the incident, Dakota was ordered to be kept in confinement, however, her owner dropped her off at a shelter from where she was adopted. Soon after her adoption, Dakota was seen running loose, breaking her confinement order, and was ordered to be euthanized by the court, according to Boston Globe.

"Dakota's aggressive behavior during the incidents are not in line with her usual behavior," said the staff at Waterville Area Humane Society, who are currently caring for Dakota, in a letter to LePager. The staff said that Dakota has been a "model animal" under their watch, according to Boston Herald.

Maine abolished death penalty in 1887. Jessica Lundgren, a reference librarian at the Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library, said neither was she aware of any comprehensive list of pardons from Maine governors nor there are any news articles in the law library's archives about a Maine governor pardoning an animal. However, once, a state legislator did seek a pardon for a bull mastiff in 1984, according to a UPI article, Central Maine reported.