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Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 3673
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 4:28 am: |     |
For Great Dane that survived Katrina, it's a tale of two owners
Friday, January 20, 2006
BY BEV McCARRON
Star-Ledger Staff
Forced to flee after Hurricane Katrina ravaged her home in August, Annabelle Arguello put her dogs in a temporary shelter in Louisiana. When she went to retrieve them a month later, they were gone. She quickly located her two beagles -- but not her Great Dane, Chopper.
A thousand miles away, in New Jersey, Pam Behmke had been looking for a pet. She spotted a black Great Dane at an adoption day held by Hillside-based People for Animals in October. She took Pluto -- an animal shelter workers fondly described as "a big goofy dog" -- home to Flemington.
Then came the call that revealed Behmke's Pluto was Arguello's cherished Chopper. Arguello wants her 18-month-old pet returned to his Kenner, La., home, but Behmke refuses to part with the animal.
Now the canine custody case is headed to court. A hearing could be held next week in the Somerset County Courthouse before Superior Court Judge Rosemarie Williams, according to one of the attorneys in the case.
"It's a real sad situation right now that we have to file a lawsuit to get this dog back," said Alexis van der Sterre, a Newark attorney representing Arguello.
In the aftermath of the hurricane, shelters were overwhelmed with pets. The Lamar-Dixon shelter in Prairie, La., which was coordinated by the Humane Society of the United States, took in 8,000 animals, including Arguello's dogs, and sent many to shelters across the country.
According to court papers, People for Animals sent two vans to get 14 dogs and eight cats, including the Great Dane.
"The agreement under which we brought them back was to hold them until Oct. 15, which we did," said Diane Guillaume, executive director of People for Animals.
Louisiana mandated rescue groups keep the pets until Oct. 15 to give owners a chance to find them. Melissa Rubin, vice president of field and disaster services for the Humane Society, said some groups voluntarily extended that date.
In Hillside, Guillaume said only two inquiries were made about animals before the October deadline -- a cat was retrieved by its owner and a dog was adopted by a California firefighter who rescued it. The rest were adopted, she said, including the Great Dane.
"Apparently there was a mix-up trying to find where this dog went," Guillaume said. "But I didn't hear she was even looking for the dog until late November."
By then, the dog was with Behmke, who adopted it Oct. 23.
"We consider it part of the family," said Behmke, who described the pet as a sweet dog who likes to climb into laps.
When asked how she felt when she learned the original owner wanted the dog back, she said, "I can't even put it into words."
Van der Sterre said her client is equally distraught.
"I am his rightful and loving owner that desperately wants him back," Arguello said in a certified statement submitted to the court yesterday.
The Great Dane was given to Arguello by her son when she had cancer, and she is attached to it, according to van der Sterre, who said her client is living in a trailer while waiting for her house to be repaired.
In papers filed in Somerset County, Arguello's attorney said she did everything in her power to find the dog.
She said Arguello initially was forced to leave the pooches behind when she evacuated her home, but she went back for them a week later and placed them in the Lamar-Dixon shelter on Sept. 7. On the intake form, she wrote the pets needed temporary housing until she could move back into her home.
When Arguello, who had been staying in Houston with her sister, returned for her pets at the end of September, they were gone. She found the beagles in another shelter in Louisiana, but in the confusion following Katrina, the staff at Lamar-Dixon could not locate the Great Dane. Neither could the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
In November, the Humane Society of the United States began to help after a call was placed to its disaster hotline on Arguello's behalf. The dog was traced to Hillside on Nov. 17, which led People for Animals to call Behmke.
But it wasn't a simple case of lost and found -- Behmke refused to give up the dog. A response filed in court by Behmke's attorney, Christina Donahue, stated the Great Dane was legally adopted under guidelines set for shelters caring for Hurricane Katrina animals.
It also insists there were options open for Arguello to find the dog, including an 800 number and a Web site, and questions whether Arguello has proven she is the rightful owner of Pluto. Behmke additionally was disturbed that Arguello left her dogs in her home for a week when she fled the hurricane.
Rubin, with the Humane Society, said although there are instances in which owners reappear only to find their pets have been given away, this is the only case to end up in court. Out of all the pets at Lamar-Dixon, 2,000 have had happy reunions with their owners and others are in shelters or have been adopted.
"If it's still in the shelter, there's no problem. They give it back. But if its been adopted, there's a problem," Rubin said. "And in some cases, the poor person has said 'I'll give it back,' and in others they're saying, 'No, I've adopted the dog.'"
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1137736457211910.xml&coll=1 &thispage=2 |
ken (the other one)
Citizen
Username: Ken
Post Number: 373
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 6:52 am: | |
Arguello, the original owner |
cody
Citizen
Username: Cody
Post Number: 905
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 7:04 am: | |
The original owner. |
Meandtheboys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 2699
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 7:07 am: | |
That the woman who adopted this dog wouldn't immediatly surrender it to it's original owner is beyond selfish. A pox upon her. |
Rastro
Citizen
Username: Rastro
Post Number: 2261
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 9:50 am: | |
Especially given the circumstances of how the original owner lost the dog, I am appalled at the behavior of the person who adopted it.
It's not like they adopted the dog, and years later the original owner came back. They could not have had the dog for more than a few weeks.
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Debby
Citizen
Username: Debby
Post Number: 2187
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 11:23 am: | |
Bsolutely the original owner. I understand that it is sad for the new owner - but no question he should be returned. |
Bailey
Citizen
Username: Baileymac
Post Number: 151
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 1:10 pm: | |
Yup.. the original owner should get the dog back.
She should probably offer to pay Pam (the NJ resident) for animal shelter expenses, and maybe even offer to pay for the dog's food.
If Pam has any class, she should refuse payment and return the dog.
And someone (a generous Great Dane breeder) could maybe donate a pup to Pam, to thank her for her generosity. |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 1665
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 2:09 pm: | |
let's all go to Flemington and slap this lady for being so selfish.
pathetic.
The original owneer has lost so much due to Katrina, to be denied her pet is truly sad.
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Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 3677
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 2:16 pm: | |
I agree 100%! I called the Ledger to ask if there would be a follow up story and if the woman who has the dog had a change of heart once the story hit the paper. So far the woman still refuses to return the dog. |
Marty Tuohy
Supporter
Username: Martyt
Post Number: 73
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 3:02 pm: | |
I'm sure the new owners love the dog and I don't know if they have kids which would make it even tougher ... but Jeez, give the dog back to the original owner.
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The Man
Citizen
Username: Bumboklaat
Post Number: 131
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 3:19 pm: | |
I say split the dog in 2 and give the ••• end to the lady causing this ruckus. |
stefano
Citizen
Username: Stefano
Post Number: 476
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 3:47 pm: | |
Give me a "W"
Give me an "H"
Give me an "O"
Give me a "C"
Give me an "A"
Give me an "R"
Give me an "E"
Give me an "S"
!!! |
Parkbench87
Citizen
Username: Parkbench87
Post Number: 3364
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 4:00 pm: | |
The case has been placed on the docket of Judge Crater. Don't expect a ruling for quite a long time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge_Crater
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Valley_girl
Citizen
Username: Valley_girl
Post Number: 101
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 10:48 pm: | |
Three dogs in a trailor home--including a great dane? |
monster
Supporter
Username: Monster
Post Number: 1900
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 11:10 pm: | |
baseball bat, knee caps...
Give the dog back BeAtCh.... |
Scully
Citizen
Username: Scully
Post Number: 121
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 11:16 pm: | |
Arguello, the original owner |
ess
Citizen
Username: Ess
Post Number: 915
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 11:56 pm: | |
Just to add my two cents -- I agree that the original owner should get her dog back. The second owner seems selfish and stubborn. I can see how she could have gotten fond of the pet after a few weeks, but nevertheless, the dog belonged to someone else, someone who had suffered great losses already. Why not show some compassion? |
anon
Supporter
Username: Anon
Post Number: 2507
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, January 21, 2006 - 4:22 pm: | |
Wow, a thread where everyone agrees!
I guess that's because it's a no-brainer. |
AntoninaKC
Citizen
Username: Antoninakc
Post Number: 156
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, January 21, 2006 - 4:42 pm: | |
Hmm, Im surprised everyone agrees. I think the new owner should be able to keep a dog she properly adopted. Im shocked all the pet-lovers would be in favor of an unstable, tightly packed home for 3 dogs. Sort of sounds inhumane to me.. |
akb
Citizen
Username: Akb
Post Number: 373
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, January 21, 2006 - 4:51 pm: | |
There are trailers which are larger than most of our houses. Let's not make assumptions. |
Ace789nj
Citizen
Username: Ace789nj
Post Number: 213
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, January 21, 2006 - 4:53 pm: | |
Thank you Stefano  |
Starletta8
Supporter
Username: Starletta8
Post Number: 128
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, January 21, 2006 - 7:53 pm: | |
Also, this is a special case. Were it not for a natural disaster, the dog would never have left the original owner's posession.
I'd hardly call a natural disaster (where the owner was both trying to save her life and the dogs lives) a voluntary surrender.
I understand that it's hard on the woman who adopted the dog, but she should try to think about it from the other woman's perspective. She may be surrendering a dog, but she's still got her house and all of her possessions! |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 1681
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Friday, January 27, 2006 - 9:37 am: | |
A happy ending - although I can't believe it made it as far as a courtroom.
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tpupdates/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tpupdates/archives /2006_01_26.html#108145 |
Meandtheboys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 2788
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Friday, January 27, 2006 - 10:06 am: | |
Grat news, thanks for posting that Pippi. |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 3746
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, January 28, 2006 - 1:45 am: | |
WAG THE COURT
Friday, January 27, 2006
BY BEV McCARRON
Star-Ledger Staff
The big, floppy-eared dog at the center of a custody dispute sat in the front of a Somerset County courtroom yesterday, sniffing curiously around as a judge decided to send him home with his first owner.
Ending a tug-of-war that stretched from Louisiana to New Jersey, Superior Court Judge Rosemarie Williams gave the black Great Dane back to Annabelle Arguello of Louisiana, the original owner separated from her dog in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Pam and George Behmke, the Flemington couple who had adopted the animal and come to consider him part of their family, were forced to give the dog back.
Williams had requested the pet be in the courtroom for the hearing. After ruling, the judge took the dog's leash and ceremoniously handed the beloved animal over to Arguello.
Arguello pet and hugged the dog she hadn't seen since leaving him at a shelter in Prairie, La., in early September. The dog, straining at his leash, seemed a bit confused by the strange surroundings but lapped up all the attention he was getting.
"This is fantastic," Arguello said, after replacing a collar that had identified the dog as Pluto of Flemington with a new one that labeled him Chopper of Kenner, La.
The judge said Arguello never intended to abandon the dog when she put him in the Lamar-Dixon shelter after the hurricane whipped through her hometown, destroying her house. The Louisiana woman, Williams concluded, had searched diligently for the dog.
Williams, a devoted pet owner, called her ruling "a bittersweet decision," saying she empathized with the Flemington owner, Pam Behmke, who had adopted the dog from a Hillside shelter.
"On the one hand, the court believes it rightfully reunites a woman who has been through a terrible tragedy," Williams said. "Perhaps this court's decision will play a part in helping to rebuild her life."
"However, the court also realizes that the defendants have become very attached to the dog, and unfortunately today's decision may cause them great sadness," she said.
The dog, described as a "gentle giant," even stole the judge's heart. During the hearing, Williams nuzzled the dog's face with her own, stroked his head, and said, "What a big fuss this is over you."
The Behmkes were not present. Attorney Christina Donahue walked the dog on a leash into the courtroom. The Behmkes expected the outcome, she said, adding they felt too emotional to attend the proceedings.
Donahue also said Pam Behmke had been the target of hate phone calls and threats after publicity about the case.
The dog fight wound up in court after Arguello tried to reclaim her animal in late September, only to find the Great Dane gone and the shelter unable to locate the canine.
It turned out Chopper was among a group of pets brought to New Jersey by People for Animals of Hillside, which handled the Behmkes' adoption of him in October.
This is not the only case of owners being unable to get their pets back after the chaos of Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans and surrounding areas at the end of August.
Marilyn Knapp Litt, founder of Stealth Volunteers in Louisiana, which is working to reunite pets with their owners, has forwarded about a dozen cases to the Louisiana attorney general, mainly concerning shelters that refuse to return dogs, or to provide information on who adopted them.
"These animals are the last link to a lost life," she said. "These people's homes are gone, their way of life is gone, their neighbors are gone. There's very little for them to hold onto."
Arguello's attorney, Alexis van der Sterre, said after hearing about Chopper's case that several attorneys, mostly from Louisiana, had contacted her saying they were considering similar cases and wanted to know the outcome of this one.
After the hurricane hit, Arguello dropped her three dogs -- two beagles and Chopper -- at the Lamar-Dixon shelter and asked to keep them at the facility until she could return. She offered to pick them up if they couldn't hold the animals.
But with the shelter overwhelmed by pets and Hurricane Rita posing a new threat, Lamar-Dixon shipped out many of the dogs to shelters across the United States, which agreed to keep them until Oct. 15.
Arguello found the beagles, but it took from the end of September until mid-November to locate Chopper.
In the meantime, the Behmkes had adopted the Great Dane, and he bonded well with their other dog.
Supporters of the Behmkes who came to the hearing said the couple had taken good care of Chopper and didn't know when they adopted him that he had only been placed in a shelter temporarily.
"You couldn't have picked a better person to rescue it," said Sharon Ebbs, Pam Behmke's friend.
Arguello took the dog to a cousin's home in Monroe Township and will fly back to Louisiana with Chopper tomorrow.
On hand to see the reunion was Samantha Mullen of Flanders, who is with the Humane Society. Mullen said she had been helping in Louisiana and was the person who logged the dog into the Lamar-Dixon shelter.
"It's wonderful to see a happy ending," she said.
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Kristen Williamson
Citizen
Username: Kris219
Post Number: 161
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, January 28, 2006 - 11:13 am: | |
Good for the owner...sooo can we end this thread? There are more important things to do and/or discuss. |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 3759
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, January 28, 2006 - 11:25 pm: | |
Kristen
Is this thread bothering you for some reason? |
Meandtheboys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 2808
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 10:13 am: | |
Well, Kristen, to some this is important. If it's not to you, there are plenty of other threads for you to visit. |
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