June 27, 2004

Cheech will come around: assessor

By Kevin Diakiw, Daniel Pi
Staff Reporters

SPCA assessments conflict on whether a young Rottweiler should be put down.
Cheech the dog made headlines this month when the pooch was taken from the SPCA by staff who wanted the animal spared.
Reports indicate three days before he was to be destroyed, assessors found the dog worth saving.
"On Sunday, June 13, I was able to go into Cheech's kennel, put a leash on him and take him for a walk. Cheech was a little fearful at first, but I was able to reassure him," assessor Bruce Kilborn wrote in a report obtained by The Leader. "I feel in time, Cheech will come around just as the other dogs we had did, but he needs to get out of the kennel/confinement environment first."
A second report also characterized a troubled but salvageable dog.
However, the society says a third report performed days after the first two indicated Cheech showed a propensity for growling and attacking.
That's the report that matters, SPCA officials say, because it showed the dog was aggressive and should be scheduled for euthanization.