Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Dogs Declared Dangerous for Barking

ETA: A couple folks asked about contacting people on this case. I am not familiar with the details. However, there is a Facebook page set up specifically for the two dogs, Shelby and Riley. It has a post from March 29, 2010. These dogs have been evaluated a number of times and, heck, there is controversy involved w/ the evaluations. You can see some video of the dogs here. These dogs have been at the shelter since November of 2008. How is that right?

Two dogs in Crawford County, who happen to be Pit Bull mixes, have been declared dangerous by a judge. He mailed the owners his ruling.

The dogs are guilty of barking at a neighbor.

That's it.

The shelter, where the dogs have been housed consider the dogs friendly.

Now the owners have the following options:
* Kill the dogs
* Sign the dogs over to the county to be killed
* Allow the shelter to adopt them out

I'm sorry, really? Why not option 4, in which the dogs remain with their owner? Why add dogs to the shelter system when they already have a home? Why do tax payers have to pay for the cost and care of two dogs who have done nothing wrong?

The owners spent $15,000 on this case.

This is, in my opinion, a horrible misuse of judicial discretion.

11 comments:

pibble said...

Barking?!

If that catches on in other parts of the country, my dogs are in big trouble. Well, actually, all dogs are in big trouble. Except Basenjis. Unless chortling becomes a crime, too.

Two Pitties in the City said...

Why do the dogs need to be adopted out if they already have a home?

naturelady said...

It is already catching on. I live in Michigan and my neighbors called the police on me because my dogs barked at them while they were inside my fenced yard in the middle of the day. I was told that dogs are NEVER allowed to bark if it disturbs somebody no matter what time of day it is. If they were called again they were goiong to ticket me and take my dogs. So now I have to keep my poor dogs locked in the house unless I can stay outside with them every minute and take them in if they bark at something.

However, my other neigbors are allowed to practice with their band very loudly and others play loud rap music with bad language that everyone has to put up with.

PawPurrry said...

Really? This must be a joke!...If this were the case my little 10 Lb Lhasa and 10lb Lancashire Heeler would both be taken away from me because they bark at some people..they don't bite and they don't bark constantly in the house...hmmmm....sucks!

Anonymous said...

Here are 2 articles we found on how the hearings were proceeding, as well as the dog evaluation process, but we were unable to find anything more recent than 3/2010.

We agree that it sucks, but we want to act in our support as well as say "this sucks"...

Pinups for Pitbulls will gladly re-post dogs needing rescue or adoption on our Facebook and Myspace pages as well as a chip -in widget to help raise legal funds for this family and any petitions to sign.

Limited info is found on Google, can anyone tell us how we could contact anyone involved with this case?

http://www.crawfordcountyavalanche.com/articles/2010/03/08/news/doc4b8ea5eff3b44626688223.txt

http://www.crawfordcountyavalanche.com/articles/2009/12/18/news/doc4b291ccd69b8a148346871.txt


Send any info to info@pinupsforpitbulls.com
thank you!

Mid Michigan Boxer Rescue said...

Does anyone know if they will release these dogs to rescue?
Beth
Mid Michigan Boxer Rescue

Anonymous said...

gah...
barking is at most a violation of noise/nuisance ordinances. To declare dogs "dangerous" for barking is just sick.

(and if they ARE "dangerous" how can they be adopted to someone else????)

Anonymous said...

p.s. naturelady: you need to get copies of the town/county ordinances that apply. It's hard to believe that dog noise is subject to a different law than other kinds of noise. Police have been known to be ignorant of the actual law.

Unknown said...

There is a facebook page for the dogs (no updates since 3/29/2010: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Shelby-and-Riley/253489822280

Video footage of the dogs: http://www.thorswarriors.com/

Maybe try to contact thru facebook?

I don't have any specific contacts for this case.

Anonymous said...

I really don't get the logic behind the options the court has put forth. Like EmilyS said, how can dangerous dogs be adopted out? If they're safe to be adopted, why not send them home?

Somethink stinks.

staffie_mad_vic said...

this is beyond a joke, I think the dogs have suffered enough no thanks to the courts rulings, I am sure the dogs are sorry for barking and have learned their lesson! I don't see how they can be put through all this and then not returned to their owners, after all would an uncaring owner part with $15000 for two dogs that they didn't want, here is my advice get a relative to adopt them and get them back home where they belong! My dogs bark at every little noise this makes them good dogs in my opinion as I am partially deaf and sometimes do not hear the door, also I would not hear a burglar or intruder without my lovely staffs! If this sort of thing goes world wide what is to become of people like me to whom these dogs are a lifeline and keep me safe? I don't know how that judge can sleep at night, I feel for the owners but the dogs are the real victims, as for the total moron who started all this he should be ashamed of HIS aggressive behavior towards these two dogs, they are the REAL VICTIMS!