Jeremy Aguilar DutchIf your dog bites someone, what do you do? Put them down immediately or fight for their life? What if you knew your beloved pup, a service dog no less, was being beaten when he turned the teeth on his attacker?

Iraqi war veteran Jeremy Aguilar claims that's why he's fighting to keep his 4-year-old dog, Dutch, from court-ordered euthanasia. According to Dog Heirs and a host of other animal sites, Dutch has been accused of biting a woman who admitted to animal control officers that she was beating him at the time of the alleged attack. But his owners say that hasn't swayed a judge who says the registered service dog and certified AKC Canine Good Citizen needs to be put down.

It's a tough call. As a dog owner, the last thing I want in my house is a vicious dog. Our pets are part of our family, and we shouldn't be scared of members of our family. Especially not when you have kids.

The dog can attack my daughter's toys if she leaves them out, but if he comes anywhere near my daughter, you know which one is gone!

Then again, it's hard not to be moved by the Aguilar story -- especially not when you look at pictures of his little boy lying on the dog. He hardly looks vicious. And a dog shouldn't be beaten. Period!

Aguilar says he is putting up the fight of his life to keep Dutch alive. And that's saying something. After all, the retired Army veteran fought in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and his Oklahoma National Guard unit was among the first to respond to Hurricane Katrina. He knows from tough battles, and he's going at this one fully armed.

There's already a Save Dutch petition online, and a Save Dutch Facebook page. Aguilar says he'll even put Dutch through a special rehabilitation program to satisfy the judge that he's not a danger.

So how about you?

What would you do in their situation? Would you fight to save your dog or would you agree to have them put down?

 

Image via Save Dutch Facebook