A pitbull who reportedly saved a child from drowning by dragging him out of a river is set to be returned to his owners.
Buddy pulled the nine-year-old child out of the water after his mother 'attempted to drown him and his brother' on Thursday.
Tragically, the boy's five-year-old sibling died. Buddy was then seized by the officers after the boy sustained injuries.
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A GoPetition page was set up by Buddy's family after he was seized. It managed to attract more than 50,000 signatures.
New South Wales police officers have now stated that they do not plan to put Buddy down as he 'was acting in reasonable defence of the nine-year-old boy'.
Credit: 9 News
Margot Stork, interim general manager for the council, said in a press release: "The NSW Police [have] advised us that their investigations to date have deemed that the dog in question was responding to extreme circumstances and it is likely that the dog was acting in reasonable defence of the nine-year-old boy that was subsequently hospitalised.
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"The NSW Police have advised council that they will not be seeking an order to destroy this animal.
"Since the incident, we have micro chipped the dog and are working with the dog's owner to register the dog and set up the appropriate conditions to enable the dog to return home."
A 27-year-old woman is accused of attempting to drown her two sons in the Murray River at Moama, on New South Wales-Victoria border, reports the Mail.
The body of a child, believed to be the five-year-old, was found in the river.
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The nine-year-old is being treated in hospital for dog bites, while the mother has been charged with murder and attempted murder.
The boys' father revealed on Facebook that he'd never met the five-year-old and had been estranged from the nine-year-old for several years. He travelled from from Queensland to Melbourne yesterday.
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/Laura SpurwayTopics: Murder