The pit bull is a very dangerous dog that has injured two people.
The dog's name is Max, he is 3 years old, 70 pounds, and was being held at the Alameda animal shelter. He was supposed to be euthanized at 3 p.m., but Wednesday morning, Max disappeared from his cell. It appears someone broke him out in the middle of the night.
"There's a hole in the fence behind you and they also snapped a metal ring that would keep the kennel enclosed basically," said shelter supervisor Diana Barrett.
Police say the breakout was captured on the shelter's many surveillance cameras. It comes one day after Max's owners appeared in court, pleading for the animal's life to be spared.
But an Alameda County court commissioner ruled against the family, saying Max was too dangerous to live out in the community.
"Somebody came in and broke into our house and took the animal," said Alameda Police Lt. Bill Scott.
Scott says Max was involved in two serious dog bite incidents in the past five months.
"The first incident occurred in January. My understanding is that the dog bit, lunged at a person's face, causing 13 stitches to the bottom lip. The second incident involved a friend of the family in March," said Scott.
In court, Max's owners asked for one last chance to visit the dog before he was to be put down. It's a request the shelter planned to facilitate Wednesday morning.
"The family was supposed to be here at 11 o'clock today and they did not show up," said Scott.
Police did question the owner who told police he had no knowledge of Max's whereabouts. Police would like anyone with information to contact them.
