Time is running out for a death row dog waiting for a last minute reprieve.

A court last month ordered that Blackie, a cross-collie belonging to Sue Cook, be put down after it bit a boy on the hand.

Sue was given until next Monday to have her pet destroyed - but she is pinning her hopes on a judicial review through the civil courts.

She has consulted Kent-based solicitor Trevor Cooper, an expert in such cases, and is desperate for a solution.

Yet he has warned her that such a review could be fraught with difficulty and mean a legal bill of at least £50,000.

Sue wants the case looked at again and claimed she was not given the choice of having Blackie's plight heard at crown court in front of a jury.

She said: "It should never be too late and I am not going to give up. It will be extremely difficult and the problem we have got is time.

"I am worried the police could turn up in the middle of the night and just drag him away."

She has also been in discussions with the RSPCA and animal behaviourists in the hope of winning more time.

Meanwhile Sue, from Tilburg Road, has offered thanks to the scores of people who have contacted her to give their backing. She is still eager to hear from anyone who can offer help or a solution.

"I have been getting so much support from people on Canvey, even from those I don't know.

"A lot have been coming up to me in the street and asked if it is me. Everyone I speak to is very sympathetic."

Sue claimes Blackie only nipped the boy on the hand after the dog was tormented by a group of youngsters in April last year.

She also said he was under control at the time. The case was first considered by magistrates before December's appeal hearing at Southend Crown Court.

The six-year-old cross-collie was taken in by Sue four years ago from the RSPCA after he had been abused by a previous owner.

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