Despite emergency appeal to Supreme Court, Bruce the dog euthanized in California
Despite a last-minute appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, a 3-year-old 100-pound Great Pyrenees/German Shepherd mix named Bruce, who had been deemed legally "vicious," was euthanized in California on Wednesday, according to the lawyer for an animal rescue center that had sued to stop the move.
The case involving the imminent execution of a personal pet was a highly unusual, if not unprecedented, appeal to reach the court's emergency docket, which typically sees eleventh-hour pleas in capital cases and urgent disputes over government policy.
The dog was euthanized by Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS) before Justice Elena Kagan, who oversees emergency applications in the Ninth Circuit, could weigh in, attorney Dan Bolton confirmed to ABC News.
Bolton represents the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center (SPAR), which had overseen the original adoption of the dog and claimed a contractual interest in its wellbeing.
The animal rescue sought to block the euthanasia mandated by local officials and was joined by the dog's owner, Claire Birgy. The legal saga drew national attention.
Bolton said the local case presented, in his view, important constitutional questions on standing.
Lower courts had tossed out the last-ditch appeals to save Bruce by concluding the animal rescue lacked a concrete interest in the dog's survival sufficient to challenge the dangerousness finding by local authorities.
In April, a judge determined Bruce was a "vicious dog" and ordered him euthanized after finding he posed a threat to the public after multiple "vicious" biting incidents.
On its website, Ventura County Animal Services described the incidents and released graphic photos of some of the bite wounds. In one case, in February 2024, VCAS said a male minor was bitten on the lips while walking past Bruce "resulting in severe disfiguring lacerations."
In another incident, from September 2025, a man walking past Bruce, who was tied to a pole outside a CVS, was attacked, resulting in "multiple bite wounds to the knee, chest, and forearm and required sutures," according to VCAS.
In November, a woman was walking in her apartment complex when she was walking past the dog and was bitten on the arm, later requiring surgery and skin grafts, according to VCAS.
Bruce was initially ordered to be euthanized no later than May 15, but that was temporarily delayed by a stay issued by a federal court. The stay was lifted earlier this month.
In a statement on Tuesday, Ventura County Animal Services said: "Decisions involving the humane euthanasia of an animal are difficult and complex. They require us to balance compassion for animals with our responsibility to protect people and ensure public safety. Dog bite cases are challenging, and we recognize the strong emotions they can generate within our community."
