Thousands Campaign to Save Dog That Mauled Child

A dog that mauled a 4-year-old Phoenix boy has received thousands of pleas for mercy through a Facebook campaign ahead of a court hearing to decide his fate. A municipal court judge could rule at a March 25 hearing on whether Mickey, a pit bull that bit Kevin Vicente in the face, should be euthanized. Kevin received injuries that will require, according to doctors, months and possibly years of reconstructive surgeries. Since the Feb. 20 attack, Mickey has become the object of a Facebook page that has gotten more than 40,000 likes and an online petition to spare his life.

Attorney John Schill, who is representing the dog in the court petition, says the person watching Kevin while his mother was at work should be held responsible. "But for adults involved, this never would have happened," Schill says. "They're trying to put all the blame on Mickey." According to Guadalupe Villa, who was at the scene of the attack and whose boyfriend's mother was baby-sitting Kevin at the time, Kevin picked up a bone lying on the ground near the dog, which was kept on a chain. That's when Mickey suddenly attacked Kevin, Villa says; she also accuses Mickey of killing her dog last year. (More dog mauling stories.)