A provincial court judge will decide Brindi's fate later this month. (Francesca Rogier)

A Dartmouth provincial court judge will decide April 30 if Brindi the dog should be put to death.

After a hearing Friday, Judge Alanna Murphy reserved decision on whether to have the animal put down as a threat to the public welfare, have it returned to its owner, or hand it to a third party for continuing care.

Geoff Newton, a lawyer for the City of Halifax, argued that Brindi should be put down for the safety of the public and other animals.

Trainer Ted Efthymiadis, hired by the dog's ower, Francesca Rogier, told the court Friday that he doesn't believe that Brindi is an overly aggressive dog.

"There's no reason why she can't be rehabilitated - with proper training and follow-up maintenance training - to be able to be, honestly, like a normal dog," Efthymiadis testified.

Newton questioned the trainer's credentials, and Efthymiadis admitted Brindi could not be assessed at her own home, where she might be more territorial.

The trainer said if the dog is allowed to live, she should never leave her own property without a muzzle.

Rogier has agreed to more training and having the dog wear a muzzle, if her pet's life is spared.

Brindi, a six-year-old Sheppard mix, spent two years at a shelter before she was adopted by Rogier in 2007.

After several aggressive confrontations with other dogs, Brindi was placed under a muzzle order. But in July 2008, she got loose from her East Chezzetcook home and bit another dog.

That's when Halifax by-law officers seized Brindi. The dog was scheduled to be euthanized in August 2008, but the procedure was was postponed after Rogier made her application to the court.

Last month, the judge found Rogier guilty of three violations — letting her dog run loose, ignoring an order for Brindi to wear a muzzle and owning a dog that has attacked another dog.

Murphy agreed to delay sentencing so Rogier could get an animal behaviouralist to assess her dog. Brindi has has been impounded at the SPCA for the last two years.

The city's lawyer is not seeking excessive fines for those convictions, but he wants Brindi put down.