Thieves Reprieve ‘Death Row Dog’

A dog condemned to death by a British court because it was a dangerous breed has been stolen, probably by sympathetic animal lovers, police said Friday.

Magnum, a 4-year-old mongrel, was ordered destroyed after tests convinced a court that he was a pit bull terrier--a breed outlawed under legislation passed in 1991 after a series of vicious attacks by dogs.

But he disappeared from a kennel in Weatherall, northern England, Wednesday. The padlock was cut.

Owner Richard Foster fought a two-year legal battle to save his pet. But an appeal against the order failed and Magnum was sentenced to death under the Dangerous Dogs Act.