The saga of Kno the dog may be coming to an end soon in an Effingham County courtroom.

Effingham County filed a petition Sept. 12 to have the dog put down, and a Superior Court hearing will be held to determine the dog’s fate. The dog attacked young Wesley Frye in July, attacking the child three times and inflicting severe bite damage to his face, neck and legs as a result. Kno, a 3-year-old pit bull, was surrendered to the animal shelter July 24.

Julie Grace and Larry Long Jr. had owned the dog for about three months when the attack happened.

The Effingham County Magistrate Court affirmed the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office Humane Enforcement Division opinion that Kno was a “dangerous dog.” A law passed this year called for vicious dogs to be confiscated by animal control officers and placed in quarantine and ultimately euthanized.

Long has waived his right for an appearance before the court and understands that Kno has been classified as a “dangerous dog.” He also is not protesting the county’s petition to have Kno put down.

Mickey Kicklighter was appointed Sept. 12 as pro bono counsel for the dog, the same day the county petitioned to have the dog euthanized.

“It is the county’s position that it is not necessary for either the dog or the dog’s owner to be appointed counsel for the hearing,” Assistant County Attorney Elizabeth Pavlis wrote in a court filing. But out of “an abundance of caution,” the county is requesting a hearing to determine whether Kno will be euthanized, pursuant to the new state law, authored by state Rep. Ann Purcell (R-Rincon).

According to court records, the sheriff’s office sent Long a letter informing he could request a hearing on Kno’s status as a dangerous dog but did not inform him the county sought to put down the dog or inform him of a proposed date for the euthanization.

It appears the hearing on the dog’s fate will be a fait accompli — the county wants to euthanize the dog, and its owners don’t wish to stand in the way.