SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

‘Hank’ the pit bull goes home a free dog

Oct 19, 2017, 12:58 PM

(KIRO 7)...

(KIRO 7)

(KIRO 7)

Remember Hank? The dog on death row?

Hank’s owner, Jann Propp-Estimo, told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson her furry baby gets to live after five months of court battles.

RELATED: No one wants Hank the dog to die, so why will he be euthanized?

Hank and his dog mom were sent to the shelter in Lewis County after accusations the dogs attacked livestock. The farm owner cleared Hank’s name and even produced video evidence of Hank’s innocence, according to the defense attorney. The shelter didn’t want to see Hank die, so it renamed him and adopted him out to Jann.

Jann choked up and told Dori she fell in love with Hank the moment she saw him at the shelter.

“He had a stuffed toy in his mouth and he was wagging his tail,” she said. “He looked up at me with those eyes and I said this is the dog. He was the only one that wasn’t barking.”

She said she had no idea of Hank’s past until a Lewis County judge determined Hank a dangerous dog and ordered he be put down. Jann said she visited her dog every day the shelter was open, talked about her day and took selfies with him.

This week, a judge voided the euthanasia order and ordered that Jann and her family could keep Hank. She thanked everyone on Facebook, Change.org, and GoFundMe for their support.

“So many people were praying for Hank and I do believe that’s what set him free,” Jann said.

Hank returned home a free dog on Wednesday.

FBI director Kash Patel speaks before President Donald Trump at the David Mack Center for Training ...

Associated Press

Homicides dropped 18.1% in 2025 to the lowest rate since 1956, FBI says

The homicide rate in the United States dropped to the lowest it’s been in 75 years, according to an FBI report on 2025 crime statistics released Friday, which also showed overall violent crime dropped 9.3% last year. Experts note that national violent crime rates have been declining since 2022, and pinpointing an exact reason is […]

10 minutes ago

police bite of seattle...

James Lynch

‘People will die’: Former King County Sheriff says Seattle’s police staffing crisis goes far beyond Bite of Seattle

The debate over 11 more SPD officers is part of a deeper question: How many lives are at risk when there aren’t enough officers?

43 minutes ago

FILE - American Airlines passenger planes are parked at Miami International Airport, in Miami on Ju...

Associated Press

2 planes with the same flight number avoid possible disaster thanks to quick-thinking controller

A potential disaster was averted Friday when a Phoenix air traffic controller recognized two American Airlines jets mistakenly were flying the same flight number and acted quickly to avoid confusion and keep them a safe distance apart. Audio of the incident shortly after midnight Friday shows how he found a solution to ensure the planes […]

49 minutes ago

FILE - Water is dropped by helicopter on the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neig...

Associated Press

Prosecutors narrow their case ahead of the retrial of the man accused of setting the Palisades fire

Los Angeles (AP) — Federal prosecutors will pursue fewer charges in their second attempt to convict a man accused of starting the deadly 2025 wildfire that became the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history. A jury deadlocked in June over whether to convict Jonathan Rinderknecht of intentionally sparking the fire that killed 12 people as […]

52 minutes ago

FILE - A portrait of President Donald Trump is displayed at the Justice Department building in Wash...

Associated Press

Appeals court sides with Trump in fight over subpoena of gender-affirming care provider

President Donald Trump’s goal of ending gender-affirming care is not improper and cannot be the basis for quashing a subpoena issued by the Justice Department against a provider of medical treatment for transgender youth, a divided federal appeals court ruled Friday. The Justice Department announced last year that it had issued more than 20 subpoenas […]

54 minutes ago

This photo provided by the Shedd Aquarium shows a rescued beluga whale arriving, Aug. 13, 2026, at ...

Associated Press

Four more belugas arrive at Chicago aquarium from shuttered Canadian theme park

CHICAGO (AP) — Four more belugas have arrived at a Chicago aquarium as part of a plan to move Canada’s last remaining captive whales from a shuttered theme park to aquariums in the United States and Spain. The four whales, named Caspian, Peekachu, Rain and Secord, were the second group of belugas sent to Chicago’s […]

2 hours ago

‘Hank’ the pit bull goes home a free dog