NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
There could be hope for a local dog that tens of thousands of people are trying to save from so-called "doggie death row."
A Great Pyrenees named Izzy got loose from her electric fence, had a run-in with a neighbor and ended up with Metro Animal Control.
At first, a website erroneously reported that Izzy was doused with hot coffee and then reacted instinctively by biting back.
While coffee was thrown on Izzy, that is not the whole story. And now the big dog is caught in the middle of a big controversy, with her life hanging in the balance.
"We're just holding the dog for court. We don't make any decision about what happens to the dog," said Billy Biggs, with Metro Animal Control.
Izzy's tale started about a month ago in her Bellevue neighborhood when a couple was out walking their pet poodle and Izzy managed to break from her electronic fencing. She ended up biting the female neighbor twice, and the woman's poodle was attacked as well.
In defense, the husband doused Izzy with a cup of coffee to make her stop.
A complaint was filed, and Izzy's been at the pound ever since.
Tens of thousands of supporters came to Izzy's defense as websites and Facebook posts told her tale. Her support grew so much that now the dog has her own defense attorney, and a national organization is helping pay for her appeal and a possible future home out of state.
"We've lost our dog, but at least we've saved her life," said owner Mark Shaffer.
Even people in Shaffer's neighborhood who said they have been frustrated by Izzy's ways over the past three years are hoping her life is spared and she's allowed to be relocated.
"There's two victims here - the people that got bit and the dog who was put in a bad situation," said neighbor Bill Fletcher.
Izzy is a rescue dog that started out on a farm. Breed experts said Izzy is more herself when she's guarding sheep, and when there are no sheep around, she's going to herd and protect people.
There was talk Thursday that an agreement is being finalized in which Izzy would be shipped to a place in Connecticut where she will be trained and then hopefully placed on a farm somewhere outside of Tennessee.
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