ELK GROVE, Calif. — The one-year-old German Shepherd named Zeus that bit a man and an officer earlier this year was euthanized by the city of Elk Grove Friday.
In a press release, the city says Zeus was designated as a dangerous animal and was humanely euthanized consistent with a previously issued administrative order.
This comes after multiple lawsuits from both of Zeus' owners.
The press release continues by saying "This has been a difficult situation for all involved in this matter, and the City does not take this action lightly. The City takes its duty to preserve public safety and protect the community very seriously. While some members of the public asked the City to consider alternatives to euthanasia, the dog’s established bite history and dangerous propensities presented too great of a risk to public safety for this community, or any other community to which the animal may have been relocated."
The owner's attorney Andrew Shalaby says they will be going back to court over what he called a mistake made by the city.
"They did not exhaust an appeal, they made a mistake about that. they accidentally called the administrative meeting an appeal," said Shalaby.
He says if the mistake was recognized the order would have been nullified and Zeus would have been released back to the family. Shalaby says they are in the process of trying to claim Zeus's body.
The attorney also said he believes the extensive media coverage of the case put pressure on the city and they made this decision to make everything go away.
Zeus' owners declined to talk when asked for comment.
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