Judge Spares Life of Pit Bull

Mickey the pit bull can live, but he's getting the canine equivalent of life without parole. A judge in Phoenix today spared the dog's life but said it must be neutered, defanged, and placed in a rehab facility with no hope for adoption, reports the Arizona Republic. The dog mauled 4-year-old Kevin Vicente's face last month while the boy was under the care of a babysitter, but an Internet campaign sprang up on Mickey's behalf when it seemed the dog would be euthanized.

Municipal Court Judge Deborah Griffith did indeed declare the dog to be vicious today and called the mauling a "tragedy" for Kevin, but she agreed with animal rights activists that "a lot of adults are responsible," too, reports AP. Those activists have said the dog was badly trained and should have been supervised more closely in the presence of a child. "This is not Kevin versus Mickey," said one of three attorneys who represented the dog at today's hearing. "Having Mickey killed is not going to take away Kevin's pain or injuries. The only thing this is going to do is kill a poor, innocent dog." (More pit bull stories.)