A woman from Oklahoma City made national headlines after she broke into a municipal animal shelter in a desperate attempt to rescue her beloved pit bull, hours before the dog was scheduled to be euthanized. According to reports from several media outlets, the dog — a pit bull named Hazel — had been deemed “dangerous” by a court following alleged biting and aggression incidents, and a judge ordered her put down. 

The woman, Toya Stewart, told shelter staff that Hazel was gentle with her family — and although Hazel had been involved in a few biting incidents (one reportedly involved a mailman, and another a small dog), Stewart argued the dog’s behavior could have been managed with proper training and oversight.  Faced with the imminent death of her companion, Stewart concluded she could not accept the euthanasia order.

Late on the night before Hazel was to be put down, Stewart made the dramatic decision to break into OKC Animal Shelter. According to police reports, she broke a window, pried open Hazel’s kennel, and the two slipped out — allegedly army-crawling under a fence to avoid detection. 

For a few days, Hazel lived at Stewart’s home. But law enforcement eventually tracked them down. Stewart was arrested for burglary and concealing stolen property; Hazel was taken back to the shelter — and, tragically, euthanized in accordance with the prior court order.

The story reignited broader public debate over how animal shelters — and courts — handle cases involving pit bulls, a breed that remains heavily stigmatized in many parts of the United States. To some, Stewart’s actions were a crime and reckless; to others, she was a desperate owner acting out of love and refusing to accept a bureaucratic “death sentence” for her dog. As a representative of OKC Animal Welfare asserted, the decision to euthanize was based on concern for public safety — but critics argue the system rarely affords pit bulls a fair chance at rehabilitation. 

Beyond the emotional drama and legal consequences of this case lies a larger issue: many shelters across the U.S. — including the OKC Animal Shelter — face severe overcrowding and limited resources. According to the shelter’s own public materials, when capacity becomes tight, tough decisions about euthanasia may need to be made. 

The story of Hazel and Toya Stewart struck a nerve with the public largely because it highlights the strong emotional bonds many people form with their pets — and the tragic reality that, for some dogs, especially those labeled as “dangerous breeds,” that bond may not be enough to save them under current shelter policies.

In the end, Hazel lost her life; Stewart lost her dog — and the incident remains a deeply divisive example of the intersection between legal decision-making, public safety, animal welfare policy, and the private love people feel for their pets.