Animal Planet's 'dangerous' dog in canine jail

New York, July 6 (ANI): A dog dubbed dangerous on an Animal Planet show is now lodged in a Westchester animal shelter after it bit a neighbour's visitor.

Casper has been caged in a shelter for six months, as his owner Bram Leinwand has fought to save his life while facing 80,000 dollar in fines and threats of eviction for violating his condo association's no-dog rule.

A Westchester County judge recently spared the 109-pound Presa Canario's life, but not his testicles.

Besides ruling that the dog must be neutered, Greenburg Town Judge Walter Rivera also ordered the dog to see a "board certified animal behaviorist" and not go out in public without a muzzle.

"He's not a bad dog. He doesn't deserve this," the New York Daily News quoted Brad, of Arsdley, as saying.

He has vowed to appeal.

Trouble for the owner and his dog erupted in 2011 after Casper and Brad's son, Eric, appeared on "It's Me or The Dog."

Show host Victoria Stillwell had called the dog "dangerous" and "a loaded pistol at the end of the leash" in the episode that aired in April 2011.

On the show, a trainer had waved a big stick at Casper in a threatening manner and the dog had lunged at him after being released by Eric.

Eric, who bought the now 3-year-old dog as a puppy, didn't do the dog any favors by likening him to a "a registered weapon."

After the show aired the Leinwands heard from their condo board, which demanded the family get rid of Casper or face a 500 dollars-a-day fine.

The board, which in 2009 had given the family permission to keep the dog, had put a 45,000 dollar lien on the Leinwands' home and fines have now mounted to 80,000 dollars.

The situation went from bad to worse, when the dog bit a visitor on the arm in the condominium parking lot, piercing the man's jacket and pricking his skin.

Cops seized Casper, who has been in a New Rochelle shelter ever since the incident. The family gets to visit the dog once a week.

Leinwand said that he feared that no one will adopt Casper unless Judge Rivera reverses his decision to label the dog "dangerous."

He said that he's willing to spend his last penny to get justice for Casper.

"(This) may ultimately prove to be a death sentence," he added. (ANI)