The Youtube video that follows shows a dog named Justice in very bad shape. He’s underweight, suffering from extreme mange and has bite marks on his neck.
I learned of Justice on Dog Examiner’s Facebook Page. If you head over there you can read the comments and updates on his story, but apparently he was living in a back yard in NYC with another dog who constantly attacked him. A neighbor (disgusted by Justice’s condition and the conditions in which he was living), took Justice to the ASPCA without his owner’s permission. Now apparently the ASPCA in New York is preparing to return Justice to his owner.
If the limited facts of this story are accurate, there is NO WAY this dog should be returned to his owner, regardless of how he ended up at the ASPCA. The health and welfare of this poor animal need to be priority 1!
Please retweet this post on Twitter, share it on Facebook, email it to friends, whatever you can do to get Justice’s story in front of as many eyeballs as possible. Justice deserves justice!
UPDATE:12/29/2009
There is still very little, well actually no information becoming available regarding Justice’s safety, whereabouts or health status. I’ve just tweeted the ASPCA NY to see if they have any information that they are able to share.
UPDATE 2: 12/29/2009
I was just alerted by @K9Stitch via Twitter of a new Facebook group called ASPCA We Need Justice For Justice. There looks like there is A LOT going on legally behind the scenes over there. Hopefully all the hard work people are doing culminate in “Justice” being removed very soon from the terrible conditions he’s been living in and given the treatment he needs so badly.
Take a minute to visit this Facebook group, join & spread the word. If you have relevant legal expertise, I’m sure it would be welcome to the people trying to rescue “Justice” from his terrible situation.
UPDATE 3: 12/30/2009
Justice’s story has made the front page of the Care2 website.
UPDATE 4: 12/31/2009
Joseph Villarosa ** Joseph Alert **
PLEASE read these words carefully…
1. To the world, WE are looking like a bunch of nuts. WE need to calm down, stop pointing fingers at EACH others and THINK HARD before posting. If you are not “contributing” to a meaningful discussion, go play on another page. This is serious stuff and we have …WAY too many radical and opinionated cooks in the kitchen. I WANT your input, but THINK before bashing PLEASE. OK? MY job is to bash, not yours (grin).
2. I have asked for a second video to be taken of BOTH dogs, cross fingers PLEASE.
3. The family attorney DID contact me last night. See prior update. I will reach out to them again.
4. Attorney Merino is doing her best and has contacted EVERY group in the world that could help (ASPCA, owners, etc.).
5. Our friends at Rescue Ink are ALL over this. They will NOT let anything happen to these dogs. So let’s continue to support them please.
6. Justice IS doing better and IS getting treatment. This was ONE of our goals, so we WON PART of the fight people, BUT we STILL have much work to do.
7. I am TRYING to broker a backdoor deal with everyone. No one will ever be told the terms, but suffice it to say, if it works it creates a win-win for the dogs, for LEGAL JUSTICE and will send a… See More STRONG signal to the ASPCA. I’m a deal maker. So sit tight, I’ve doing everything I can (as have you).
8. Please do NOT friend me w/o a note. I have no clue who many of you are and I have to be careful who I let into my paranoid little world (grin).
9. We should NOT have the demonstration tonight. Give it a rest and let’s regroup and calm down. Besides, the real place that needs a protest are our politicians who ALLOW the f’d up laws, the NYPP who don’t even KNOW the animal laws and the ASPCA who is, well, clueless on every level.
10. The owners and Justice are only pawns in a VERY political game with LOTS of money at stake. And don’t fool yourself, this is ALL about donations and $$$ – to the system, this is NOT about Justice. So let’s not take our eyes off the REAL prizes. ** Better laws. ** Better enforcement ** Education of laws TO ASPCA AND NYPD ** National Companion Animal Protection Act (CAPA) like law ** Roundtable conference with ALL parties (NYPD, ASPCA, HSUS, US, politicians etc.) ** Passage of Oreo law ** NATIONAL animal rights think tank that I feel WE should start!!! ** National Rescue and Shelter UNION which I feel WE should start as a 501c3. THESE are the ways to cut off the head of the snake. So PLEASE realize, I get it. Justice is the poster dog representing the FACT that our animal welfare system is broken. We need reform people. NATIONAL reform. NOT talk. NOT politics. NEW LAWS. NOW PLEASE have a safe New Year and PLEASE let’s all just give this all a rest for a bit and save some OTHER lives.
This one is OK for now…I promise.
I'm a dog guardian to Sweety, my 15 year old Border Collie & Zeus a stray American Pit Bull Terrier that I rescued in October of 2009. I write about canine health and nutrition focusing mainly on topics relating to feeding a raw meaty bones diet.
