California dog named Bruce, accused of four attacks, is euthanized after months of court battles

After months of legal wrangling, Ventura County Animal Services on Wednesday euthanized a 3-year-old dog that officials said had attacked and seriously injured four people, including a teen.

The latest development comes about a week after a U.S. District Court judge denied an emergency application seeking to prevent the county from euthanizing Bruce, a 100-pound black and tan German shepherd mix.

The Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center, a nonprofit that spent months fighting the county in court, filed the emergency application.

The group, which had rescued the dog before it was adopted three years ago, said on social media it had appealed the court’s ruling to the 9th Circuit and called on the county to delay euthanizing Bruce.

“The federal stay was lifted, but that does not require the county to execute Bruce immediately,“ the group wrote on Facebook. “It does not prevent the County from agreeing to a standstill. It does not prevent the county from returning to court with a stipulated resolution.”

But by Wednesday evening, county officials said Bruce had been put down humanely after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the group’s motion.

“Decisions involving the humane euthanasia of an animal are difficult and complex,” the county agency said in a written statement. “They require us to balance compassion for animals with our responsibility to protect people and ensure public safety.”

In an email response to The Times, Dan Bolton, attorney for the rescue center, said Bruce was euthanized despite the pending federal appellate court hearing.

“As Ventura County Animal Services acknowledged, Bruce was a ‘model citizen’ at the shelter, and had been so for five long months,” he said. “The utter disregard for the judicial process ... and shameful disrespect for Bruce’s life, is truly sickening, particularly by someone in charge of caring for shelter animals.”

Animal services officials said that there was no pending case when Bruce was euthanized and that Bruce’s owners were given the opportunity to challenge their decision through the judicial system.

“Their challenges have been considered by multiple courts, and four different judges have either upheld the underlying decisions, or declined to overturn, modify, or otherwise interfere with the decision,” the animal services statement read. “VCAS respected the judicial process when courts placed a temporary stay, and we must respect that same process now that the stay has been lifted.”

The legal battle over Bruce’s life began in March when animal services held an administrative hearing to determine whether the dog was potentially dangerous or vicious.

The hearing stemmed from a petition animal services had filed that same month against the dog’s owners, Claire M. Birgy and Erick Krasnoff, and cited four separate and unprovoked biting incidents dating back to 2024.

The first reported attack occurred in February 2024, when Bruce jumped up and bit Alexander Vera, 16, in the face.

The teen told animal control officers that he was helping the owners move out of their home when the incident happened, according to the petition.

In September 2025, Larry Graves reported to animal services that the dog had bitten him multiple times in the right knee, chest and left forearm outside a CVS store in Oxnard. Graves said he was leaving the store when the attack happened.

In November 2025, Beatriz Ziegenfus told authorities that she was passing the dog and his owner when it lunged at her and bit her on her right forearm, knocking her down.

“I was taken to Ventura County Medical Center because of the severity of the wound and blood loss,” Ziegenfus’ sworn statement read. “I had to have surgery — skin graft.”

Animal services also documented at least two attacks involving Felton Johnson in January and February. Johnson lived near Bruce’s owners and told authorities that Bruce, who was wearing a muzzle, knocked him down while attempting to bite him. He told animal services that he was walking with his wife, who uses a wheelchair.

After reviewing the incidents, which included photographs of the injured victims, animal services determined in March that Bruce was a vicious animal and needed to be euthanized.

Bruce’s owners filed an appeal with the Ventura County Superior Court on April 8.

A week later, Ventura County Superior Court Judge Mark S. Borrell sided with the county and ordered the dog to be euthanized. The order was non-appealable.

Still, the couple sought another appeal, but a separate Ventura County Superior Court judge denied their request, stating they could not file a second appeal.

The couple then sought to put a stay on the order, but Borrell denied it, reminding the couple again that his original order was non-appealable.

In May, the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center entered the battle when it asked a federal judge to stay Borrell’s order while it sought a federal appeal of the case.

The rescue center argued that Bruce’s owners should have notified and surrendered the dog to the rescue center before relinquishing control to animal services.

The federal judge granted the injunction. But last week, the judge lifted the stay after the group’s federal appeals case was dismissed.

The nonprofit filed an appeal with the 9th Circuit, requesting the county hold off on euthanizing Bruce until the court had heard the case.

On Wednesday evening, the Santa Paula rescue center updated its Facebook page to mourn the death of Bruce.

“To us, Bruce was never just a case number, a legal dispute, or a public controversy,” the group wrote. “He was one of ours.”