Killing Oreo the 'miracle' dog

Animal rights groups flooded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals with last-minute pleas to let Oreo the "miracle dog" live. But Oreo -- a pit bull mix that survived being hurled off a Brooklyn rooftop last summer -- was given a last meal of "premium quality" kibble and canned food on Friday, and put to death, after her caretakers determined she was so aggressive she had to be killed. Was it cruel to euthanize a dog that had been through so much?

Killing Oreo is wrong: It's hard to believe the ASPCA did everything possible to save Oreo, says Patty Adjamine in the pet blog Tales and Tails of New York. The organization has a history of "distorting facts" to justify killing shelter animals. Surely someone like expert trainer Cesar Millan or Best Friends in Utah ("Dogtown"), which took in some of the Michael Vick fighting dogs, could have rehabilitated Oreo.

"The sad saga of Oreo and the ASPCA"

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The ASPCA did its best: This is "heartbreaking," says Deanna Raeke in the blog For the Love of the Dog. But the ASPCA tried. After rebuilding Oreo's shattered legs, the group put her through 59 training sessions, at nearly 45 minutes each, to modify her behavior, but it didn't work. Maybe now she'll go to "a more peaceful place where she can let go of the anger and just be a puppy again."

"She survived brutal abuse only to die now"

Oreo's owner's cruelty was her death sentence: "This story is just too sad for words," says Mark Ramirez in the Albany, N.Y., Times Union, "especially when you see Oreo’s sweet face." Apparently, the dog suffered such cruelty at the hands of her owner -- Fabian Henderson, who tossed her off the roof, is awaiting sentencing for animal cruelty -- that she was a powder keg of anger and aggression.

"Dog survives being thrown from roof, will be euthanized anyway"