Major is leaving Kennel 600. A federal judge ordered Austin to hand the Belgian Malinois to a rescue organization within 30 days, ending a shelter stay that ran 575 days.
U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra permanently barred the city from euthanizing him. Major travels sedated and muzzled to a secure enclosure outside Austin and Travis County, where he gets at least 30 days to decompress. During that window only his owner, Shane Lilly, and veterinary behaviorist Kenneth Martin may see him, and Martin decides whether the dog needs longer. Major will never go to the general public, and Lilly must carry at least $100,000 in liability insurance.
The case started in March 2025. Major was walking off leash when a vehicle hit him. Lilly left him outside a nearby home while he fetched his phone, and a woman who came to help was severely bitten on the arm. He has been held alone since, and a petition asking the city to spare him passed 50,000 signatures.
What this means for your dog
An injured dog is a frightened dog, and a frightened dog can bite the person trying to help. Severe bites are climbing faster than bites overall, which makes the leash less about manners and more about risk.
The other lesson is patience. The plan also gives him a month of quiet before anyone evaluates him, which is the part most shelter dogs never get. If your dog has come out of a hard stretch, a long shelter stay like the one that ended for this dog after nearly 1,000 days in kennels, or a move, give the behavior room to settle before you decide what it means.