patrick’s custody battle goes on

Update:

 

Woo Hoo!! “Nathan Winograd
The Appellate Court turned away the AHS attempt to take custody of Patrick. In a very quick decision, the Appellate Court said the trial correct made the right decision and Patrick should stay at GSVS pending resolution of the criminal case against his abuser. Decision attached

http://www.nathanwinograd.com/linked/affirmedpatrick.pdf”

I feel sick and sad. Cannot believe I have to do another Patrick custody update but according to Nathan Winograd, AHS appealed the court order.  Please pray for our boy and GSVS today.   Below is taken from comments made on Facebook.  There is a bright light comment made at the end.

Nathan Winograd

The Assoc. Humane Society in NJ is appealing a court order that Patrick stay with the veterinarian who saved him and the caretaker he has bonded with pending the outcome of the cruelty case. AHS is continuing its fight to put Patrick on display at its “zoo” so it can continue to fundraise off of him. AHS has a long, sordid history of substandard and neglectful conditions. Will his exploitation never end?

The application for leave to file an emergency appeal (essentially an appeal) was filed June 16 with the Appellate Division of the Superior Court. I’ve uploaded a copy of the filing and posted the link above. But here it is again: www.nathanwinograd.com/linked/ahsappeal.pdf.

Last night the good Capt. posted this:

NJ SPCA
To All : Patrick continues his amazing journey and is a happy and healthy pup. I can assure you that “ain’t nothing or nobody” that is going to move him from his current abode. Still trying to sort out the legal issues BUT Patrick is staying put at GSVS until after adjudication of charges against K. Curtis. PERIOD..Just Sayin.Capt

Nathan Winograd

Here’s the timeline to clarify:

1. On June 16, AHS filed a motion asking leave of the appellate court to turn Patrick over to them pending the appeal.
2. On Tuesday, they filed their brief appealing the decision of the court keeping Patrick with GSVS pending disposition of the criminal case.
3. Today, the City of Newark’s brief in opposition is due.

Nathan Winograd

I think the NJ SPCA, while perhaps good-intentioned, is giving people false information. First, they indicated that it was just rumor almost a week after AHS first petitioned the appellate court for custody of Patrick. Then when I posted the petition, they claim it is “just a petition” even though by that time, AHS got leave of court to file their brief which they did on Tuesday. (The City of Newark’s brief in opposition is due today.)Now, NJ SPCA claims Patrick will definitely stay put. I think it is irresponsible to give people such assurances when they were not even aware of the filing, have consistently misrepresented the state of the filing, and haven’t even read the briefs.

I hope they are right. I truly do. I hope the petition is denied. But I don’t know and NJ SPCA certainly doesn’t know, having been wrong on two occasions about this already. And saying they do is irresponsible bravado.

You can contact AHS http://www.ahscares.org/shop/contactus.asp and tell them what you think. How they should STOP WASTING money and resources and TAKE GOOD CARE OF THE ANIMALS ALREADY IN THEIR CARE.  Given that GSVS has obviously provided great care to Patrick, given that Patrick has bonded with his primary caretaker there, given that his primary caretaker has bonded with Patrick, given that they clearly care about each other, and given that broken bonds are not good for dogs, if money isn’t the motive, why try to pull him away from the love and care, given how much he has already suffered?

Here are photographs and documents taken from state inspection reports of AHS in 2003, 2009, and 2011. Be forewarned they are incredibly graphic: www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/pdf/newark.pdf. Their history of substandard and neglectful conditions should GET THEM SHUT DOWN.

A bright spot comment:

I believe that the appeal will fail unless the judge made a serious error, and I don’t believe that he did. I think this is just “lawyerly grandstanding”, and one more example of AHS’ willingness to waste valuable resources, putting their own interest before those of animals in need.

wish I had a better more current photo of Patrick, but this one shows who Patrick belongs with, GSVS.