The devastated owner of a confiscated pit bull puppy called yesterday “the saddest day of my life” — after being told via e-mail that her beloved Hershey had been killed by Government.

“I’m just in shock,” a distraught Gina Davis told The Royal Gazette.

“I just wasn’t expecting it. I wanted to at least see him alive — we really and truly hoped he would he home with us.”

Saying she was at a loss for words, Ms Davis added: “We just wanted to have Hershey home. We tried to save his life, or send him overseas, as well as having the possibility of looking at reviewing the law.”

Instead, the CedarBridge Academy employee was e-mailed shortly after 4pm yesterday, when it was already too late. A short note from Beaman B Smith, an animal warden with the Department of Environmental Protection, acknowledged a conversation the pair had earlier in the day and finished with the line: “Unfortunately, I must also inform you that Hershey was euthanized (sic) this afternoon.”

Despite repeated attempts to reach animal control authorities, an anguished Ms Davis said she’d heard nothing back.

Requests by The Royal Gazette for an explanation from the Department of Environmental Protection were answered with a one-word confirmation that the animal had been destroyed.

The Department did not respond to questions as to why Hershey wasn’t spared long enough for an overseas custodian to be arranged.

The case seized public attention this week after the puppy, which last month had been stolen from its owners, was recovered by police — only for Ms Davis and her family to be informed that Hershey would be put down, because the breed is deemed illegal under Bermuda’s current legislation.

The family started a petition calling for an urgent rethink of the law — and Ms Davis said she’d received numerous offers from the US of dog lovers willing to go the extra mile to rescue Hershey and look after the dog overseas.

One dog owner included her cousin in North Carolina. Others e-mailed from New York.

“I have to say it’s not just people in Bermuda who are aware of this,” Ms Davis said. “The news is going out on international websites.”

Incensed by rumours that Government had offered to send Hershey overseas — and that the owners had refused — she said: “That is indeed a lie.”

Ms Davis added: “Not a single soul from the Ministry has contacted me to offer to send the dog overseas. If so, he would be gone, or preparing to be done.”

She said she and her family will continue the petition and intend to bring it before Parliament as soon as possible to prevent other dogs from suffering Hershey’s fate.

By last night, that campaign had garnered more than 2,000 signatures.

Ms Davis said the online petition founder, Gage Miller — a Bermudian residing in the US — had offered to take the dog free of expense, but had been told no because “many places are not reputable”.

“I have no words,” she said. “This is the saddest day of my life.”

Last night Mr Miller announced to media: “It is with an undeniably heavy heart that I regret to inform you that we have been notified that Hershey has been put down.”

He said a further statement would be released today, adding: “We will still be pushing forward with our efforts to request amnesty to help reach the other dogs at risk under this ban.”

Ms Davis echoed the sentiment, saying her consolation would be to keep others from experiencing a similar upset.

She recalled how a group of students studying current affairs had visited her office this week when they heard of her family’s plight.

“One of the girls happened to mention the same thing had happened to her family. They signed the petition because they didn’t want to see the same thing happen again.”