Adam Laflin, 35, was arraigned on a misdemeanor count of failing to control a "potentially dangerous" dog as defined by the Marin Humane Society. A few hours after the arraignment, Laflin appeared for an administrative hearing over the fate of the dog, an 11-year-old named Beezley.
The Humane Society is seeking to have the dog designated a "vicious animal," a more severe category than "potentially dangerous" that could mean anything from tighter restrictions to euthanasia.
The Humane Society, which still has custody of Beezley, is not recommending that the dog be killed, said animal services Lt. Steve Hill. "I don't want that dog back in Fairfax, or in Marin," he said.
But Hill recommended that Laflin be allowed to keep the dog elsewhere, a position that didn't sit well with Fairfax police. Chief Chris Morin had to shoot Beezley himself during a confrontation in 2009, the event that led authorities to declare the dog "potentially dangerous."
"I do not want the dog to be put down, but the dog does not belong with that guy," Morin said. "If the dog remains in the possession of Mr. Laflin, whatever community Mr. Laflin is in will be put at risk."
"We're surprised that the Humane Society would recommend the dog be returned to the owner after a long history of aggressive behavior and Laflin's failure to control the dog and himself," said police Sgt. Stuart Baker.
The biting incident occurred March 28 during a Little League game at the central ball field, where police received a report of an intoxicated man. Cpl. Rhonda Richardson contacted the suspect, whom she knew as Laflin, and escorted him away from the field.
Then Beezley came charging from behind a parked car and lunged at Richardson, biting her hand as she struggled to subdue it with pepper spray. Clack, a Little League parent, came to Richardson's aid, and he was bit as well.
Both Richardson and Clack filed complaints about the dog, triggering the administrative hearing Friday afternoon. Before the hearing, Laflin apologized to the victims and said he is in treatment for alcoholism.
The hearing officer, retired lawyer Al Burnham, is expected to render a decision next week on what should happen to the dog.
(Marin Independent Journal - April 13, 2012)
