Need legal advice. Huge problem. Worst of my life.

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If your description of circumstances is correct, your only slip up is crap control.
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Conversely, crap control failure may be his sole saving grace against their accusations. Nothing in -- nothing out. What are they going to claim, that is was he who went out in the run and took a big gruntsy every day?
 
True enough about amount of crap. Only a forensic canine crapologist could determine how much crap, over what period of time equals correct feeding. My concern is appearance of condition of run. (It snowed here 7 days ago, my 30 X 30 run is full of crap from 25 lbs. worth of dogs). They could get me on appearances.

At this point I won't make any more comments. I appologize if my comments were misconstrued as negative.
 
He has no legal recourse against the electrician unless he can prove that, by his actions, he intended to cause him harm.
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I'm aware of that. That's why I said he should consult counsel.

That being said, you know, I know, and the American people know that anybody can be sued for anything, and if 'twas me, after I got finished with the criminal charge, I'd be looking to make the electrician's life hard.

Perhaps the suggestion to withhold payment was premature.
 
#1 Consult local gun clubs and hunting dog breeders in your area. Inquire about any attorneys that may be affiliated with the clubs.

#2 Call these attorneys.

Many lawyers that have a personal interest in a certain area (in your case, dogs and extrapolated; hunting dogs and further extrapolated; guns.) will lower their rates or even go pro bono.
 
The most important thing is to get an independent evaluation of the animal before they can claim that they are responsible for the dogs current healthy condition.
 
I think you are going to be shafted for attorneys fees, but that is the lesser of two evils.

Monday morning I would talk to two people, first, a vet, explain the facts, and ask him to witness your garage set up, empty food containers, and feces collection (for freshness and quantity). Make it plain to him you do not expect this to be for free, his time is money. Then he should go look at the dog for signs of undernourishment. He may be able to suggest a lawyer for you. Your first consultation should be free. If the vet will write a statement that he has checked the dogs condition and housing/feeding arrangements, and they are satisfactory (100$? would be reasonable?) Show that to the attorney, and everything should fade away with a second hundred to the attorney.

Good luck, and keep us informed about your contact with the jack booted thugs.:mad:

Of course you know that the final insult is when they hand you a bill for 100$ for vets exam and boarding for the weekend?:banghead:
 
i would imagine theres alot of pain and suffering in your family from the kidnapping of your dog that was perpetrated by the electricians unprofessional behaviour
 
if theres one thing ive learned in law school the past semester (and im not sure of much else right now) its that you need an attorney
if the district attorney knows you will fight it i doubt he'll go to court over a "skinny" dog
you need to know your rights and have someone who can help you protect them and DO NOT plea bargain when you arent guilty
i know the cost is prohibitive but try and find an attorney, preferably one recommended by friends or like a previous poster said, recommended by a hunting club or gun club........an attorney who works in that area in criminal defense may also have advantages over an attorney from farther away who does not know the judge and prosecutors (one of my profs is a defense attorney and gets plea bargains all the time from ex-students :) )
collect the dog waste, take pictures, get experts
dont give up and dont give in........you know whats right
and by the looks of it you have PCRCCW as a witness
good luck man
BSR
 
Monday morning I would talk to two people, first, a vet, explain the facts, and ask him to witness your garage set up, empty food containers, and feces collection (for freshness and quantity). Make it plain to him you do not expect this to be for free, his time is money. Then he should go look at the dog for signs of undernourishment. He may be able to suggest a lawyer for you. Your first consultation should be free.
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Asking a Vet for a legal referral is a good suggestion. They would know of lawyers who are experienced in veterinary medical malpractice. That's exactly the kind of legal experience that's called for in this case. That's the type of lawyer who has experience in proving the condition of animals at certain times and as a result of certain kinds of treatment.
 
i would imagine theres alot of pain and suffering in your family from the kidnapping of your dog that was perpetrated by the electricians unprofessional behaviour
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Suing someone for filing a false police report is difficult. There is assumed to be a strong State and public interest in allowing people to report suspicous activity without fear of reprisal.

To prevail in such a suit one must prove malice on the part of the reporting individual. That's going to be difficult absent some history between the dog owner and electrician.

Loss of companionship with the animal, emotional trauma to the parents and kids at being seperated from the dog, are all good causes on which to sue the State however.
 
Going into this fight without an attorney would be the equivalent of taking the proverbial knife to the proverbial gun fight.

On another note, this is why I live on 30 rural acres in the Ozark Mountains outside of any city limits.

Any electrician or other busybody who made a report like that would be endangering himself out here.

And I pity any poor sap who would come onto a man's property out here to confiscate his dog.

hillbilly
 
I think the dog cops are often quite nuts.

Like a lot of dog people.

Dont get me wrong - I am related to a lot of dog lovers. People who will spend any amount of money to patch up a dog, who volunteer for shelters, who call the dogs their "children".

Thats fine - it makes them happy, its how they are wired.

I like dogs a lot, but they are just animals. I could eat one if I had to and I would never allow a vet bill to hit four figures.

Anyway, I think you got a dog lover on your case - and probably an ignernt ;) one at that.

Get the attorney - attorneys are like guns, you hope you never need one, but when you need one, nothing else will really substitute.

Play hardball, get mean - lots of nice people don't know how to do this - I hope this is not you. Nice people get hosed in situations like this because they believe if they can just get the other side to see what a well meaning person they are...

Get one of those assault lawyers - they extra scary kind.
 
All I can say is that your dog ought not to be left outside when there is no one home and that the doggy-do, while of use in your defense, gave an appearance of neglect that precipitated a busybody to intervene to start with. Skinny, short-haired dogs really ought not to be left out in 40 degree weather for more than an hour.

Where was your dog during the incident and did he have access to shelter?

BTW, your SIL sounds like a dipsh-t for not securing the dog before leaving.
 
Skinny, short-haired dogs really ought not to be left out in 40 degree weather for more than an hour.
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I wasn’t going to say anything but since someone else brought it up…

Although I grew up with dogs I don’t really have solid knowledge about caring for them. So I did some research into dog care, focusing on 6 month-old puppy care and weather tolerance specific to English Pointers. From what you described, it’s possible that you were not caring for your dog properly.

While German Pointers may tolerate the cold well, English Pointers do not. Puppies are even less tolerant. Upon review of some animal care legislation, I found that some areas prohibit keeping dogs outside when the temperature drops below 40. You said that the water in his bowl was freezing. That means you were keeping him outside when it was below 32 degrees. While such legislation may not exist in your area, I present it only as an indication that “experts†may consider your care negligent for keeping the dog outside, especially since the dog is a puppy. Unless the garage was heated, I don’t think that offers much defense.

As for feeding him, from my research it appears that you were on the low end of “appropriate.†However, because you were keeping the dog outside in very cold weather, the dog would have consumed a large amount of energy just to keep warm. This is very bad for 6-month-old puppies. A 6-month-old puppy is nearly full size and eats about twice the amount of food an adult will because the dog is still growing. Since the dog was expending so much energy in heating itself, it is possible that the dog could presently be malnourished.

My layman’s assessment is that you’re in serious trouble. You MUST get a lawyer that is familiar with these types of cases and you MUST get a vet to examine the dog AND examine test results from tests taken when the dog was brought in. This is important because the animal will recover (IF there was anything to recover from) fairly quickly once the vet starts pumping him full of antibiotics and other quick-healing drugs and nutrients. In two days a dog in bad shape can be in okay shape.

If no tests were performed on the dog, then it’s the vet’s word against yours. You can use this fact in your defense, as the vet couldn’t really know for sure if the dog was malnourished without testing. Expert opinion is powerful testimony, but it is still only testimony, not evidence.

English Pointers need lots of space…they need to roam. Keeping such a dog in a 10x12 cage is not good for the dog’s mental health.

Good Luck. I’m afraid that you’re going to need it. :(
 
You definately need one of those deadly, high capacity assault lawyers.:D
It might be possible to find one that could defend you on the criminal charges for a large cut of what he could get from the civil case that should follow.
In any event DO NOT GIVE IN!
 
You've heard it over and over, and I've been in your financial predicament ... but you need to find some way to secure legal counsel.

Having said that, the comments above remind me of a situation I saw in the parking lot of a theater in Dallas the other evening... dog carrier in the back of a pickup, looked like a pit bull inside, temperature below 40 and a bit of a wind. The dog was barking, and shivering, and I expect his owner was in for a 2 hour movie. I felt sorry for the little guy, and while I respect private property rights, the situation did not look reasonable.

You know your situation best, and while I can understand the frustration about the electrician, I can also understand his concern for the dog. With respect, it sounds like he tried to politely suggest better treatment because of the cold.

Good luck ... hope it works out for you and your pup.

Regards from TX
 
I truely appreciate the insight and suggestions so far. Monday morning I will be making many phone calls. I will keep you guys updated. Thanks.
 
Graystar

The General Gun Discussions forum is the only one that is dedicated to firearms related threads only. L&P is not.
 
Jimpeel,

From other closed threads...

1.) All topics and posts must be related to firearms or civil liberties issues.
2.) Multiple user registrations are prohibited.
3.) As a family-friendly board, we ask that you keep your language clean. If you wouldn't say it in front of your dear old Grandma, you probably don't want to say it here.
4.) Spamming, trolling, flaming, and personal attacks are prohibited. You can disagree with other members, even vehemently, but it must be done in a well-mannered form. Attack the argument, not the arguer.
5.) We cannot provide a comprehensive list of "Things Not To Say".Posts that are contrary to the above policies, or to the mission of The High Road, may be edited or deleted at our sole discretion. Membership may be revoked if such a step is deemed necessary by us. We're a private venture enabled by an all-volunteer staff. Please treat this venue as a polite discussion in a friend's home and respect the wishes of the hosts.
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This thread is related to neither firearms nor civil liberties issues.
 
Graystar

Yeah, I saw that earlier. It seems Coronach is gleefully skipping about closing threads.

The rules he posted are from the general rules of conduct but the L&P forum clearly states:
Get informed on issues affecting the right to keep and bear arms and other civil rights. Coordinate activism, debate with allies and opponents. Discuss laws concerning firearm ownership, concealed carry and self-defense.
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Basically, if the rules he posted were to be rigorously enforced, there would be about fifty percent fewer threads posted here. I mean, how are these related to firearms or civil liberties?

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58797

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58707

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58650

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58817

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58622

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57664

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58694

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58786

And those are just from page one of the index.

What they are is highly informative and I personally believe they are appropriate to the forum. I have participated in most of them as well. Just because someone posts something like "and to make this thread firearms related" doesn't necessarily "make the thread firearms related".
 
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