One of the 13 puppies confiscated from assistant dog warden Gino Brangman died at the Government kennels on Tuesday night.

The puppies were taken from his house in mid-October when they were just three days old amid claims they were illegally bred.

At the time, Mr. Brangman said the mother had to be with them.

?The puppies are getting bigger,? he told . ?There is not enough room in the cage.?

The puppies were due to be completely weaned from their mother by the end of this week, at which point Mr. Brangman was concerned he would not be allowed to visit them at the kennels any further. Up until this point he has been allowed to visit to feed and care for the dogs, and allow the mother out to use the bathroom.

Recently he began taking the mother home during the day, returning her at night to care for her puppies.

The puppies are Fila Brasileros, a breed which is on the controversial Government dog breed banned list. However, Environmental Protection Department head Tom Sleeter wished to clarify yesterday that the puppies were not confiscated because their breed was banned, but because they were illegally bred (i.e. without a breeding licence). He said had the puppies been another breed which was not banned they would still have been confiscated because they were an illegal litter.

As Mr. Brangman?s puppies were thought to be an illegal litter once they were confiscated they faced slaughter ? a fate Mr. Brangman went to the courts to prevent.

He has taken out an injunction against Government preventing it from putting the puppies to sleep until he has had his day in court. Now he is awaiting a court date.

Dr. Sleeter and head dog warden Jeffrey Benevides declined to comment on the death of the puppy last night. Government vet Dr. Jonathan Nisbett is off the Island.