Two dogs given a last-minute reprieve from the death penalty will have to wait for the New Year before they get a shot at a new start in life.

No-one has yet offered to adopt mongrels Dhal and Redeem -- who drove neighbours barking mad with their night-time noise -- after more than a week in the doghouse.

Now the dogs will remain in the care of the SPCA over the festive season because the organisation does not allow adoption at Christmas and New Year.

SPCA president Joanne MacPhee said: "It's not an appropriate time for people to be be adopting dogs.'' But she stressed -- unlike other countries which place a time limit for adoption before animals are destroyed -- the Island SPCA had a "no kill'' policy.

Ms MacPhee said: "That's obviously not the best position for a dog, to be kept in a kennel.'' Dhal and Redeem were slapped with the death penalty by Magistrate Ed King -- and the death warrants were confirmed by Supreme Court earlier this month. The two dogs -- formerly owned by Granville Wilson and daughter Villa-Mae of Smith's Parish -- had been a bone of contention for years. Their barking eventually led to an order for them to be put to sleep.

Government Dog Warden Shinah Simons said the move came after several attempts to get the Wilsons to give the dogs up. And the courts initially ruled they could not take them from the owners.

But dogged lawyer Mark Pettingill stepped in -- free of charge -- and asked Supreme Court to `paws' for thought and look at the law again. And Puisne Judge Vincent Meerabux ruled that the courts could order the dogs to be handed over to the SPCA -- giving them a new `leash' of life. Ms MacPhee said the SPCA would only allow the two to go on condition they went to seperate homes.

She explained SPCA workers had noticed the two mutts did not get on with each other -- which probably contributed to their behaviour problems.