(Courtesy: The Shahan Family)HENDERSON, NV (FOX5) -
Nevada Supreme Court has stepped in to prevent the euthanasia of a canine who killed a Henderson toddler, the animal rescue group trying to save the dog said.
New York-based Lexus Project said the state's high court accepted an application for an Emergency Writ, which issues a temporarily halts the city of Henderson's euthanasia of a 120-lb. Rhodesian-Mastiff mix named Onion.
The stay will be in place as litigation continues on custody of the dog.
On May 16, the family who owned the dog signed ownership over to the Lexus Project. The move was made after a Las Vegas judge refused a restraining order filed by the group, saying the group had no legitimate claim to the animal since they did not own Onion.
The judge said the dog's euthanasia could go forward.
A stay was filed again once ownership was transferred to the group. A private review in Judge Joanna Kishner's chambers is scheduled for Friday.
Onion has been at the center of a custody battle between the Lexus Project and the city of Henderson.
Henderson took custody of Onion after the April 27 incident. According to police, 1-year-old Jeremiah Eskew-Shahan was trying to hold himself up while walking, pulling on the dog's fur for leverage.
That was when the dog got a hold of the child's head and neck with his mouth, shaking the toddler.
The child died after the mauling.
Stay tuned to FOX5 for the latest developments on this ongoing story.
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