The Orange County Board of Supervisors is debating the fate of a wolf-dog hybrid that has been slated for euthanasia and has galvanized animal advocates.
Only one supervisor stood against putting down Karma at a meeting Tuesday. Board of Supervisors Chairman Todd Spitzer had asked his colleagues to override OC Animal Care's decision -- which has already been upheld by a Superior Court judge -- to euthanize the 4-year-old husky mix.
Animal Care has until Oct. 20 to carry out the order.
Spitzer said the dog should be sent to the Wolf Mountain Sanctuary in Lucerne Valley.
"Look at this animal," Spitzer said at the meeting, holding up a picture of Karma. "This don't look like no wolf to me."
The dog, who was impounded in May when her owners were arrested in a domestic violence dispute, underwent genetic testing after family members said the dog was part wolf. Testing suggests Karma had a wolf ancestor two or three generations back.
OC Animal Care Director and Chief Veterinarian Jennifer Hawkins said the dog killed at least one cat in 2012 and because of its wolf ancestry it is unknown how effective required rabies vaccinations would be. She said the dog cannot be released into the community or an animal sanctuary.
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At Tuesday's meeting, she raised concerns about whether Karma could distinguish between domestic animals or a small child.
"As difficult as it is to say and as difficult as it is for some people to hear, euthanasia is necessary to maintain public safety," Hawkins said at the meeting.
Spitzer argued that the dog was "neglected and not fed," prompting it to hunt down the two cats.
"So hungry dog, neglected by drug users, gets out and does what it is trained to do -- goes after a cat just like Wile E. Coyote," Spitzer said.
Hawkins said it was a difficult decision, but the only proper response.
"It's not common for dogs to be killing cats -- that is why this (vicious dog) code exists," she said.
Joining the debate, Supervisor Shawn Nelson blasted Spitzer for wanting to go against the advice of the county's professional animal care director and an Orange County Superior Court judge who sided with Hawkins on the dog's viciousness. The judge "agrees with her opinion," Nelson said. "And it's not changing, so what would be the basis for us to go back to (the judge) and say he's wrong?"
Nelson said it wasn't enough to tell a judge that county officials simply disagree and want to save the dog.
"We'd have to hire an expert that maybe has a different opinion," Nelson said. "There's nothing else to do unless (Hawkins) came to us with something different."
Nearly 300,000 people have signed an online petition to save Karma.
