The decision to keep Anita Puglise's Akita elsewhere is a stipulation in a deal that will keep her from being charged with having a vicious dog.
Puglise and her attorney, Dean Marcolongo of Millville, worked with Somers Point Prosecutor Christopher Lipari to come up with a plan that would be amenable to the Karrers in return for the charge being dropped.
Neighbors like Chris Mathis, who lives on West Dawes Avenue near Puglise's home, stayed in the courtroom Tuesday for nearly three hours to support the Karrer family.
According to the Karrers, 3-year-old Hemi was sitting just outside the sliding doors to the kitchen when a dog running loose in the neighborhood wandered into their yard and started attacking the tiny Yorkie.
Hemi died of his injuries at Red Bank Animal Emergency Hospital in Linwood.
The Akita has been sent to Ocean City for lodging, and it will be going to a new home in Ohio.
NIMBY is an abbreviation for Not In My Back Yard. It's when cities and towns ship their vicious dogs off to other communities so they don't have to deal with the problem (fighting it out in court to euthanize the dog).
Typically, these dogs have NO restrictions placed on them before leaving town meaning when they attack and kill in their new community, no one knows its history - not the police, not animal control, not the neighbors who live around this dog.
It's akin to your neighboring town shipping a sex offender to your neighborhood and not being told that this violent sex offender is now living next door to you.
The Karrers are to be paid $2,616 in restitution for expenses by Puglise, who said through her attorney she will first attempt to get the payment made through her homeowners insurance. If they do not make the payment within 90 days, Puglise must make the payment herself.
Judge Howard Freed warned Puglise as well as her boyfriend, Michael Conroy, and the Karrers that there is to be no contact between them — no phone calls, no emails, no text messages, no conversation and no social media. Freed said any violation of the stipulation would result in charges being filed.
Puglise has a second Akita, and that dog must be contained on her property and may only be walked on a leash, according to the judge. Freed further said that anything agreed to in municipal court does not ensure civil release, meaning if the Karrers so chose, they could pursue action in a civil suit.
Both sides agreed that if Puglise abides by all of the agreed-upon points within the 90-day window, the charge of owning a vicious dog will be dropped. Failure to comply will earn the owner of the Akita a trip back to court.
The Karrers have two young boys, 9-year-old Braydon and 6-year-old Bryce. The boys saw their dog killed June 11, and while there is nothing the parents can do about that, they did decide getting another dog would refocus the boys' attention. So last week, the newest member of the Karrer family came home — Bentley, an 8-week-old teacup Yorkie.
"Given the situation, we thought that was what was best for our boys," said Lisa Karrer. “The boys are really protective of Bentley, and they don’t even want him to go outside; they are terrified that something might happen to their puppy, but they are working their way through it,” Lisa Karrer said as she fought back tears. “We really miss Hemi; our pets are like family members, and we really hope that no one has to go through this. We hope this will remind people to be responsible for their dogs and keep them contained on their property.”
Ross Karrer said after things quiet down he may possibly speak to members of City Council about the city’s current ordinance on the books regarding what is procedure when a dog bites a person. The ordinance is unclear when it is a case of a dog biting another dog, he said, and he suggested they could add something to make responsibilities and consequences more clear.
(ShoreNewsToday - July 19, 2017)
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