For those of you who wish to do so, here's contact information for the judge in this case. Please be respectful even if you're irate.
Tim Fuller
President, NEOPOA
Karen Cooper <caseyok at .....> wrote:
To: wolfdogz at yahoogroups.com
From: Karen Cooper <caseyok at .....>
Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 21:10:29 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re: [WolfdogZ] Fwd: [petlaw] GSD ON DEATH ROW IN NJ
For those who wish to write which I already have:
http://www.princetontwp.org/courtmain.html you will get the full name of the judge, who to send it to - court clerk and the mailing address. Also the fax # is shown
Kim Kahl <wolflady at .....> wrote:
I find this truly appalling that any judge would have done such a
thing...it is too bad for the landscaper that he was injured but he
deserved what he got in my opinion and anyone who didn't see that the
dog was doing what most dogs would do if attacked and their owner
attacked as well, is an idiot...if I can figure out where to write, I
will but I won't call the judge and idiot...I promise
On Nov 10, 2007, at 1:58 PM, Prometheus Horse wrote:
> Note from me: While this may not be directly germain to the lists
> posted to, it is pertinent to the concept of keeping animals as pets
> in general. If our pets cannot justifiably protect and defend us
> (their keepers), themselves, or their offspring there is truly no
> justice left in the law. I strongly urge anyone receiving this to
> crosspost it to as many groups as possible as well as to voice their
> opinion (using reasonable language, of course) to the authorities
> involved. Please use discretion in your actions so as to not adversely
> affect the outcome for this dog and his owners. Kind words of support
> for the owners would be welcome as well, but I do not have their
> contact information directly.
>
> Tim Fuller
> President, NEOPOA
>
> stormy435 at ..... wrote:
>> To: pet-law at yahoogroups.com
>> From: stormy435 at .....
>> Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 23:41:53 EST
>> Subject: [petlaw] GSD ON DEATH ROW IN NJ
>>
>>
>> Judge orders shepherd destroyed after vicious attack Thursday,
>> November 08,
>> 2007
>>
>> BY LINDA STEIN PRINCETON TOWNSHIP -- A family whose beloved German
>> shepherd
>> faces death for having led a dog attack on a landscaper is devastated
>> by the
>> news but vows to continue to fight to save him.
>>
>> "He needs to come home," said Guy James, the Princeton homeowner who
>> managed
>> to call his dogs off the landscaper, but only after the worker was
>> severely
>> mauled in the June 5 attack.
>>
>> "He's innocent. He did nothing more than protect my wife. He never
>> bit anyone
>> until she was grabbed and pulled to the ground," James said.
>>
>> Congo has been ruled vicious by a municipal judge and ordered put
>> down.
>>
>> "As a family, it's destroyed our way of living," said James, 46.
>> "We're just
>> consumed with the whole thing."
>>
>> The landscaper, Giovanni Rivera, has won a $250,000 insurance
>> settlement as a
>> result of serious injuries he sustained in the attack, which occurred
>> when he
>> and others disobeyed instructions from James not to get out of th
>> eir car until Congo and several other dogs on the property could be
>> sequestered for safety.
>>
>> Rivera, a Trenton man, was on the 10-acre, fenced property on Stuart
>> Road to
>> do yard work. The landscaping crew had arrived before 7 a.m., about
>> an hour
>> before they were expected.
>>
>> James, who was about to take a shower, called out a window to them in
>> Spanish, telling them to get back in their car and wait because the
>> dogs were in the
>> backyard being fed.
>>
>> While the dogs, two 2 1/2-year-old German shepherds and their four
>> 6-month-old puppies, had not had problems with people on the property
>> before, James said
>> in an interview that he didn't want them to interfere with the wo
>> rkers. Also, he wanted the workers to wait until he was dressed so
>> that he
>> could
>> tell them what to do, he said.
>>
>> Instead, Rivera and another worker got out of the car after a few
>> minutes and
>> the
>> dogs began to bark. That worker began to hit the dogs with a metal
>> rake and
>> Elizabeth James, Guy James' wife, yelled for him to stop. Meanwhile,
>> Rivera,
>> who
>> was afraid of the dogs, grabbed her from behind and pulled her to the
>> ground,
>> causing her to scream. At that point Congo began to bite and scratch
>> Rivera
>> and
>> some of the puppies joined in.
>>
>> "The whole thing was pretty terrifying," Elizabeth James said. "You
>> can't
>> imagine. I was scared. It happened extremely fast. I didn't have time
>> to think."
>>
>> Meanwhile, her 8-year-old son, Ben, ran into the house to get his
>> father.
>> Moments later, Guy James hurried out and called off the dogs.
>>
>> Rivera, who was treated for bites at a local hospital, settled with
>> the
>> couple's insurance carrier for the $250,000, Guy James said.
>>
>> Rivera's lawyer, Kevin Riechelson, said his client has scars from the
>> dog
>> bites and scratches that may be permanent on his arms, legs and
>> torso. Rivera
>> still suffers from numbness in his leg but is able to walk.
>>
>> "He had a really deep wound on his right thigh," Riechelson said.
>> "Luckily,
>> his face wasn't touched."
>>
>> In addition to the $250,000 settlement, the Jameses' insurer agreed
>> to pay
>> medical bills and worker's compensation claims for Rivera, Riechelson
>> said.
>>
>> The Jameses' children, especially Ben who witnessed the attack, have
>> been
>> "crying nonstop," Elizabeth James said. "They've been on an emotional
>> rollercoaster." Their dog has been placed in a shelter while the
>> court proces
>> s plays out.
>>
>> Hannah James, 11, wrote a letter to Judge Russell Annich Jr. saying
>> in part,
>> "I am so upset seeing my dog locked up in jail for doing his job.
>> When my
>> friends are over they play with and around Congo and have no problems.
>> I want you to know that this is coming from my heart and I mean it
>> with all
>> my heart and soul. Actually, my broken heart. We will never ever
>> forget this
>> for the rest of our lives. You have made the wrong decision in my e
>> yes."
>>
>> And Congo, who is being held at Save a Friend of Homeless Animals, is
>> depressed and anxious, Guy James said. He now has to be hand-fed or
>> he will
>> not
>> eat.
>>
>> Meanwhile, James' lawyer, Robert Lytle, argued at a hearing in
>> Municipal
>> Court
>> that the attack had been provoked and under New Jersey law, the dogs
>> had a
>> right
>> to protect themselves and their owner.
>>
>> But some, including municipal prosecutor Kim Otis, argue that the
>> Jameses
>> should have had control over the dogs and were negligent.
>>
>> Indeed, Judge Annich found that "the prevailing circumstances did not
>> constitute provocation and that the attack upon Mr. Rivera, initiated
>> by Congo and
>> subsequently by the other dogs present, continuing unabated for thre
>> e minutes, was a response grossly disproportionate to the prevailing
>> situation."
>>
>> Guy James pointed to testimony from dog behavior expert and
>> University of
>> Pennsylvania professor Ilana Reisner, who said that in her
>> professional opinion
>> James' dogs were "clearly provoked."
>>
>> "Based on these threats (unfamiliar individuals, perceived threatening
>> position, the attack on the puppies with a metal rake, grabbing the
>> owner from
>> behind and pulling to the ground) the dogs were compelled to defend
>> the
>> mselves and their owner," Reisner wrote.
>>
>> "I am so sorry for what happened but it was not out of viciousness,"
>> Guy
>> James said. "This was a provoked attack and any dog would protect its
>> owner in the
>> same manner. I can't imagine that any dog -- who was beat with a
>> rake, hard enough to cause bloody gashes, and then had its owner
>> grabbed from
>> behind -- would walk away without action."
>>
>> Guy James also garnered statements from several people who had been
>> on his
>> property and attested to the dogs' friendly behavior, including John
>> Pettenati,
>> the township building inspector. In fact Pettenati nicknamed them
>> "the happy dogs" because they were so pleasant.
>>
>> Guy James said that while he and his family were waiting for their
>> house to
>> be finished they lived for several months at a hotel. During that
>> time Congo
>> and his mate, Lucia, interacted with maids and others and never caus
>> ed a problem, he said.
>>
>> James also sent Congo and Lucia to the American Dog School in Denver
>> for
>> obedience training. James stressed that the dogs were trained for
>> obedience, not
>> as guard dogs. The four puppies are currently at that school, he sa
>> id. Five of their siblings were adopted and one of those dogs is being
>> trained to be a police dog in Pennsylvania, Guy James said.
>>
>> Meanwhile, an article in The Times and reports in other media outlets
>> have
>> spurred the public into action on Congo's behalf.
>>
>> Kat McAfee of the Coalition for Action in the Interests of Animals has
>> organized the Coalition to Free Congo. She expects hundreds to come
>> to a rally
>> Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the municipal building at 400 Witherspoon St. in
>> Princeton.
>>
>> McAfee said they hope to save Congo's life by "bringing pressure on
>> the
>> powers that be."
>>
>> Annich is expected to place his ruling on the record Tuesday
>> afternoon.
>>
>> For his part, Guy James said he has received thousands of letters and
>> e-mails
>> and thanked those who have offered their support.
>>
>> "Congo is a fantastic family pet who is loved by everyone we know
>> and many we
>> don't," James said. "We will not let this rest for the sake of all
>> dogs and
>> their
>> owners, and most of all, our family and Congo."
>>
>> Guy James plans to appeal Annich's ruling to Superior Court.
>>
>> "We will fight with all our love and support from friends and
>> strangers until
>> he is
>> back with us," he said.
>> http://www.nj.com/news/times/index.ssf?/base/news-
>> 3/1194498519125940.xml&coll=5
>>
>> Take the Poll on NJ 101.5 website
>>
>> http://nj1015.com/
>>
>> People can write the JUDGE
>>
>> "You may never know what results come from your action.
>> But if you do nothing, there will be no result."
>> Mahatma Gandhi
>> Stormy Hope
>> *~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
>> Dog's love is different, it requires no return
>> www.FairhopeGSD.com
>>
>> **************************************
>>
>> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>
>
>
>
> Bringing fire as the light of reason to mortals and morons for better
> than two decades.
>
> Check out http://www.neopoa.com and become a more informed pet owner.
>
> Be a snappy dresser and help animals too! - NEOPOA has an online shop
> at www.cafepress.com/neopoa
>
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