Mickey the pit bull, who was released Wednesday, was supposed to spend the rest of his life in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's no-kill animal shelter. That's what Sheriff Arpaio promised a judge last year in order to save the life of the dog after he mauled a 4-year-old Gilbert boy.
The pit bull was a "model inmate" according to Sheriff Arpaio who told us the dog showed no aggression during his time locked up.
When Mickey got off of the elevator at the MASH unit, he walked straight up to our photographer to check him out. It's not what most people would expect a vicious pit bull would do.
"Honestly, when I first met Mickey I was a little afraid of him," said inmate Suzanne Doran who took care of him in jail.
"After the first day I learned how sweet Mickey was," she said.
Doran even sang to him.
"Hey Mickey you're so fine," Doran sang.
This is the same dog that attacked 4-year-old Kevin Vicente last year, leaving him permanently scarred.
"Obviously, he's going to live with this trauma the rest of his life," said Maria Pina.
Pina and her husband Jack Wilenchik helped raise $25,000 to help pay the child's medical expenses.
The boy has undergone several surgeries and still needs more. His mother says her son still has nightmares about being attacked.
"There's no reason to talk about this dog," said Wilenchik. "Frankly, my personal opinion is I don't have a lot of sympathy for the animal."
Neither Wilenchik nor Pina can believe the international attention Mickey has received since the attack and say the focus should change.
"We do love animals, but you have to think about our kids," said Pina. "Kevin's life is more important than the dog's."
The judge allowed Mickey to be released because he has skin cancer and several skin conditions. He will need to be supervised by a vet and have tumors removed almost monthly at the undisclosed medical facility where he is going.
"He's still going to be locked up 24/7," said Attorney John Schill. "He's not going to be able to get out."
People won't be able to go see Mickey and there are stipulations to his release.
"He's not going to be adopted," said Schill. "He's not going to anybody's house. It's a facility where he's going to be kept separate from the public."
We spoke with Kevin's mom, Flor Vicente, over the phone Wednesday morning and she doesn't know what to say about all of this.
The story is blowing up on our 12 News Facebook page. It's a decision that has angered a lot of people. How do you feel about Mickey being set free? Let us know.
