Cooper, a 6-year-old Doberman-hound mix that bit at least three people, has been in quarantine at the Flagler Humane Society since Feb. 27.

PALM COAST — A Palm Coast woman’s nearly yearlong quest to save her dog from being euthanized will likely end in sadness this weekend.

Dottye Benton's appeal to district court was dismissed this week by a panel of judges. Now Cooper, her 6-year-old Doberman-hound mix that bit at least three people, is scheduled to be euthanized Saturday, according to Amy Carotenuto, executive director of the Flagler Humane Society.

Cooper has been in quarantine at the animal shelter since Palm Coast city officials confiscated him on Feb. 27.

Since last June, Benton has mounted a public battle aimed at convincing local authorities to spare Cooper and release him to a rescue ranch for dangerous dogs in Hillsborough County. This week, her fight may have reached the governor’s office: She said she sent a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis asking him to "change Cooper’s sentence from a death sentence to a life sentence at the rescue ranch."

“I’ll be praying for a last-minute miracle,” Benton said by phone Thursday from the Flagler Humane Society compound where she was visiting Cooper. She said she and her supporters are planning a last-ditch rally outside the humane society that's scheduled to begin at 8:30 this morning.

Palm Coast Animal Control officials were required by statute to sentence Cooper to death March 6, 10 days after he attacked a contractor visiting Benton’s home along Ryder Drive in Palm Coast to clean her carpet. The contractor was permanently disfigured and required facial reconstruction surgery.

The Feb. 24 attack marked the second time in about a month that the dog had bitten someone, causing severe injury. Cooper bit a neighbor of Benton’s daughter in Port Orange on Jan. 23 and animal control authorities there declared him dangerous four days later. The decision was upheld Feb. 21, and the dog was whisked away to Palm Coast by Benton. Cooper also bit a humane society shelter worker while being quarantined.

A special magistrate hired by Palm Coast, Nicole Turcotte, upheld the decision of animal control officials during an April 16 hearing, citing a state law that mandates a dog previously declared dangerous must be euthanized if it attacks another person. Benton said she will advocate for an amendment to the black-and-white directive in that statute.

"The law should be that if there's an alternative place for the dog to go, then it should not be killed," she said. "And we've had an alternative place for him to go since March ... There's really no reason to kill Cooper."

Benton sought to have the special magistrate’s ruling quashed. But Circuit Court Judge Terence Perkins on Nov. 5 denied her petition to have the decision reviewed. He determined the city had adequately proved Cooper bit and severely injured the carpet cleaner without provocation and that it was the dog’s second offense.

That prompted Benton to appeal the decision in district court.

She filed an official appeal to Perkins’ Nov. 16 decision on Dec. 20. But Erin O’Leary, an attorney handling the case for the city, argued that Benton missed the 30-day time window to petition the district court for a review and the appeal should be dismissed.

In a rebuttal to O’Leary’s motion, Benton claimed her former attorney Marcy LaHart, who counseled her through the circuit court appeals process, withdrew without filing notice following Perkins’ decision. She said LaHart did not send her a copy of Perkins’ order until Dec. 3, which was when she first learned he ruled against her. She said she never knew there was 30-day deadline to file her appeal in district court.

But 5th District appeals judges Jay Cohen, Richard Orfinger, James Edwards sided with O’Leary and granted her motion to dismiss Benton’s appeal Tuesday.

That essentially brought an anti-climactic end to Benton’s campaign, which drew support from hundreds of animal lovers. The battle has been costly for Benton. She estimates she's racked up nearly $20,000 in legal costs and boarding fees at the humane society. She also penned a four-page letter to Perkins earlier this month asking him to grant Cooper "a stay of execution" until she can meet with DeSantis.

Meanwhile, Palm Coast has spent nearly $28,000 battling Benton’s legal challenges since May, city officials said.

"The city enforces state laws for the protection of its residents and its pets." Palm Coast spokeswoman Cindi Lane said in a statement Thursday. "Unfortunately in this situation, a pet attacked multiple victims and caused severe injuries."