Dog, 'Kno,' Gets Lawyer Claude M. Kicklighter As Legal Representation In Attack Hearing

PRO BONE-O: Dog Gets Own Attorney For 'Death Penalty Case'

Every dog has his day, and this one even has his own lawyer.

Kno, a pit bull that attacked 5-year-old Wesley Frye last summer, will be receive his own legal representation at an upcoming hearing, the Savannah Morning News reports. Officials say they do not know what provoked the dog, according to WSAV.

Frye survived the attack, which occurred when he was playing inside a neighbor's home, but the right side of his face is paralyzed and he still has some scarring.

Kno's owners, Larry A. Long Jr. and Julie Long, brought Kno to the Effingham County Animal Shelter the day of the incident and relinquished ownership of the dog.

The county requested a hearing, set for Oct. 25, to determine whether Kno should be euthanized.

Superior Court Judge William E. Woodrum Jr appointed attorney Claude M. Kicklighter to represent the the pit bull in what the Associated Press calls "essentially a death penalty case." Kicklighter was also ordered to represent the Longs.

The attorney will be offering his services pro bono.

While the county maintains that neither Kno nor his owners need a lawyer at the hearing, Judge Woodrum states that he appointed a lawyer to represent the dog “in the interest of justice.”

San Francisco attorney Bruce Wagman, who specializes in animal cases, told Reuters that he had heard of only two similar cases in the past. One, he said, involved the dogs belonging to Michael Vick, who pleaded guilty to dogfighting in 2007.

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