On February 20th of this year, a pitbull named Mickey mauled a 4-year-old little boy. Phoenix Municipal Court Judge Deborah Griffith ruled that Sheriff Joe Arpaio would take custody of the dog and take him to Maricopa County sheriff's no-kill animal shelter.

The case involving a pitbull named Mickey recently landed in court. On February 20th of this year, Mickey mauled a 4-year-old little boy in Phoenix, Arizona.

Following the attack that left the child with a broken eye socket and jaw, Mickey was facing punishment by death at the hands of the area's animal control unit.

As the story made the rounds online, supporters of the dog and the breed rallied to save the canine's life. A Facebook page was created, dedicated to the dog's cause and a fundraising campaign was launched to help raise the funds needed for legal representation.

It seems as though those efforts paid off.

"We saved Mickey. Mickey is not going to be killed. Before deciding that Mickey would live, the judge said that Mickey is vicious. She looked at pictures of Kevin Vicente after he was bit in the face by the dog in February." [KTVK]

In a subsequent ruling, she gave custody of the dog to Sheriff Joe Arpaio who will take him to Maricopa County sheriff's no-kill animal shelter. And that’s where Mickey will be spending the rest of his days.

The shelter is housed in an abandoned jail but inmates will be responsible for his care. Veterinarians are also on staff.