About 15 people gathered at the Austin Animal Center on Saturday to protest the treatment of a dog named Major. The Belgian Malinois has been at the shelter since biting a woman on March 31, 2025 while its owner has fought for his life in court.
Eva Ruth Moravec
About 15 people gathered at the Austin Animal Center on Saturday to protest the treatment of a dog named Major. The Belgian Malinois has been at the shelter since biting a woman on March 31, 2025 while its owner has fought for his life in court.
Eva Ruth Moravec
About 15 people gathered at the Austin Animal Center on Saturday to protest the treatment of a dog named Major. The Belgian Malinois has been at the shelter since biting a woman on March 31, 2025 while its owner has fought for his life in court.
Eva Ruth Moravec
Major, a Belgian Malinois, poses for a photo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Courtesy of Shane Lilly.
Shane Lilly
Austin officials are attempting to arrange a final visit this week between Major, a dog that has spent more than 525 days in isolation at the city shelter, and his owner as public outrage mounts over a court order requiring the city to euthanize the animal.
The city said in a statement Tuesday it must “move forward with complying with the court order” after a judge denied a last-minute appeal from Major’s owner, Shane Lilly, who has spent more than a year fighting the case in four courts.
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“We recognize that an extended shelter stay is not in the best interest of any animal and regret that it was necessary due to the lengthy legal proceedings,” the city said in its statement.
The court denied Lilly’s emergency appeal Thursday, a day after the American-Statesman reported on Major’s case, prompting an outpouring of support for the dog. More than 6,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Major’s life to be spared, and hundreds more have commented on social media.
About 15 people gathered Saturday outside the shelter in 100-degree heat to call for Major’s release. Some held signs reading “FREE MAJOR” and “MERCY FOR MAJOR.”
About 15 people gathered at the Austin Animal Center on Saturday to protest the treatment of a dog named Major. The Belgian Malinois has been at the shelter since biting a woman on March 31, 2025 while its owner has fought for his life in court.
Eva Ruth Moravec
The court order did not include a deadline to euthanize Major.
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The city said it has asked Lilly to set a time for a final visit this week and is awaiting his response. Officials are “making every effort to contact Major’s owner to arrange a visit before complying with the court order,” the city said in another statement.
Lilly said he’s unsure what he’s going to do and is exhausted after representing himself throughout the legal battle.
“I don’t really get up anymore,” Lilly said, noting that he relied on Major for companionship and assistance with some physical tasks, such as opening doors. “It doesn’t seem like the city cares about the law or public opinion—they just want to kill the dog.”
Julie Oliver, a local animal advocate and former shelter volunteer who organized Saturday’s protest, said she wants the city to reach an agreement with
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Lilly allowing Major to be released under conditions such as an evaluation by an expert who could determine whether the dog could be retrained. She said she also wants the city to change how it handles animal bite cases.
“We want to save Major’s life and change the serious bodily injury policy to require a medical expert to testify,” Oliver said.
Chana Aranoff, who attended the protest, said Major’s behavior should be evaluated in the context of the circumstances surrounding the bite.
“He’s an animal. They speak with their mouths — they can’t say, ‘I’m in pain, please don’t touch me,’” Aranoff said. “Why take this dog and put him down?”
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In cases where an animal bite causes a serious bodily injury, it doesn’t matter if the dog was provoked to bite, for whatever reason. The only criterion courts need to consider is the injury.
The city said it does not have independent legal authority to release Major or have the dog evaluated for possible rehabilitation. Officials said the decision to pursue the case was based on witness statements, information provided by Lilly and Major’s “previous behavioral history, which raised public safety concerns.”
Lilly bought Major, a Belgian Malinois, from a top breeder in 2024 for $15,000. The purchase price included a six-month training program, but Major did not complete it.
Lilly has said Major had snapped at fellow bus passengers but was responsive to his commands and gentle. According to an investigator’s affidavit, Lilly told officials that Major had bitten five other people.
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Shane Lilly and his dog, Major, a Belgian Malinois, pose on a hike. Courtesy of Shane Lilly.
Shane Lilly
Major’s legal troubles began March 31, 2025, when Lilly said the dog was struck by a white pickup truck while the two were walking in the Montopolis neighborhood. The truck fled, leaving Major with an injured, bleeding leg.
Lilly said he left Major in front of a house while he retrieved a cellphone from a tent where he was staying, about 30 minutes away. While he was gone, a woman who wanted to get the dog to a veterinarian picked him up, according to a police report.
In an affidavit filed a week later, the woman said she was trying to keep Major out of traffic when the dog yelped in pain, turned around and bit her. The bites tore her skin, and medical personnel closed the wounds with three staples.
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Major was taken to the city shelter and quarantined for rabies observation. Shelter staff later told Lilly that the city was seizing the dog and preparing for a municipal court hearing.
Major has remained in isolation at Kennel 600 ever since, housed with other animals involved in court cases.
The city said public reaction to the case has included online threats against shelter staff, prompting officials to increase security at the facility.
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One commenter on the Statesman’s social media accounts wrote: “Isolation of an animal for 500+ days is cruel and unusual torture. What a complete failure of the justice system #FreeMajor.”