Dog sentenced to death because he is 'gay' is SAVED at the last minute by animal lover... and she's going to call him ELTON!

American bulldog mix faced being destroyed today unless new owner is found

Internet outcry caused dozens to arrive at the Tennessee shelter to adopt the dog



He was taken home by kind-hearted Stephanie Fryns - who promptly christened him Elton







The dog dumped at a Tennessee animal shelter to be destroyed because his owner thought it was gay has been saved at the last minute by a kindhearted animal lover.

After the the plight of the American Bulldog mix was seen by millions online, Stephanie Fryns, a veterinary technician from Jackson, stepped up this afternoon and adopted him from Jackson TN Euthanasia.

Naming him Elton, Fryns, who already owns four dogs said that she had planned to rescue him even before his story had traveled around the Internet.

Now safely with a new owner - Elton the dog is pictured in his pen at an animal shelter where he was being threatened with destruction because his owner thought he was gay

Describing the 50 pound dog as 'pretty friendly', Fryn said, 'He's pretty scared of everything, which is understandable. But he loved the car ride.'

She said she suspected that Elton had been involved in illegal dog-fights, but that it was impossible to confirm. However he did have some redness on his ears.

Fryn doubted he had been used routinely in dog fights because of his 'submissive' nature.

The last minute reprieve for Elton came with only hours to go until he was scheduled to be euthanized at the Tennessee animal shelter.

Animal lover Stephanie Fryns has rescued Elton the dog from the animal shelter were he was scheduled to be gassed

New brothers: Stephanie already has four dogs of her own at her home in Jackson

He was dumped there because according to the owner of the shelter, the dog's master noticed him 'hunched over' another male dog, which led him to assume he was gay.

Yesterday a Facebook user became of aware of his plight after seeing his picture on the shelter's timeline and contacted Jackson TN Euthanasia to discover the reason why he had been left there to be destroyed.

'His owner threw him away bc he refuses to have a 'gay' dog!' wrote a user who calls herself 'Jackson Madison Rabies Control Stalker'.

'Don't let this gorgeous dog die [because] his owner is ignorant of normal dog behavior! He's in kennel 10L and he WILL be put down tomorrow bc there is no room at the inn!'

Following an outcry over the Internet numerous people including Stephanie Fryns arrived at the shelter this morning to adopt the unloved dog.

The Facebook page which started the outcry: Posted to their timeline Jackson TN Euthanasia explained why the dog was with them to be destroyed

Updating Facebook this morning, she said, 'I have talked to them..they know and will let me in at open.'

'I can’t understand it,' said one shelter worker, who declined to give his name. 'You know those dogs get on top of each other sometimes.'

'I have had about 10 million calls this morning. It has been adopted already. It is gone,' he said. 'He’s in good hands.'

While dogs are known to occasionally display homosexual behaviour, animal experts say a male dog mounting another male dog is not a sign of sexual orientation but rather a sign of dominance.

Two male penguins cuddle at the Bremerhaven zoo, in Germany.

While a male dog mounting another male dog is not considered conclusive evidence of homosexuality, biologists have recorded same-sex sexual activity in more than 450 species including flamingos, bison, beetles and warthogs.

A 2010 study of Alaskan Albatrosses found that a third of the pairs actually consisted of two females. Research also shows around a fifth of all king penguin couples kept in captivity are gay.

Gay-rights campaigners have seized on evidence of animal homosexuality as proof that same-sex couples are a natural occurrence.

In his book, Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality And Natural Diversity, Bruce Bagemihl argues against 'heterosexist bias', where researchers presume animals are heterosexual.