Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified: Part 2, The Appeal

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The pit bull advocates' preferred strategies for dealing with the collateral damage of owning a dog bred for mortal combat are to 1) clog up the courts with their nonsense 2) blame some one else for leaving the door/gate open 3) redirect the blame on to the victim 4) minimize the damage and 5) devalue the victim. The fifth option is preferred when the victim is JUST a cat and the pit bull is ONLY exhibiting "normal predatory behavior". All of these classic strategies and more were deployed in GRACIE'S case. 

Pitbull Has Neighbors Worried 

PART TWO, The Appeal
On December 3rd, GRACIE'S owner THOMAS D JORGENSEN filed an appeal in an attempt to spare the cat killer's life. JORGENSEN hired shyster BRUCE WAGMAN to defend the indefensible.

On December 13th, the hearing room was packed with concerned neighbors who feared that the cat killer would be returned and of course as promised, with the weirdo band of misfits, ie the character witnesses for JORGENSEN and his cat killer. One woman testified under oath that her 2 month old infant played with GRACIE without incident. Who in their right mind allows their infant to play with a friend's dog, especially a powerful pit bull that is responsible for killing more people each year than all other breeds combined? Sound perverse? Just wait, it gets better.

On December 18th, Medical Geographer and Registered Environmental Health Specialist IV, MICHELLE NICOLE BILODEAU downgraded GRACIE'S designation from Vicious to Dangerous. That meant GRACIE would be returned to Terrier Place but not in a pretty urn. How did BILODEAU turn a slam dunk into a slap in the face?

From the beginning, BILODEAU seemed to favor JORGENSEN and "the Mutant". She was described as openly hostile towards the victims. Approximately 5 minutes into the hearing, BILODEAU said "So, Mr. Jorgensen if I were to return your dog, not that I've already made up my mind, hee, hee, hee, how would you make sure she doesn't get out again?" The neighbors had very little time to tell their eyewitness stories and no time to correct the tsunami of lies presented by WAGMAN, who presented JORGENSEN'S neighbors as a bunch of hysterical people that were afraid of dogs and the day the pit bull got loose, it wasn't out for long, and "the Mutant" only wanted to play. Most people would have recognized and dismissed that bullshit outright but not BILODEAU. In the end, it really didn't matter what was in the vet report or what "evidence" WAGMAN presented, since BILODEAU was in their pocket at hello.

Besides BILODEAU, another key player in this perverted circus of injustice was the Peninsula Humane Society/SPCA veterinary chief of staff, Dr LINDA JANOWITZ. JANOWITZ shamelessly created a bullshit vet report with a fantasy theory about a car accident that was based on no evidence, no necropsy and without any consideration of Hercules' vet records and in spite of the fact that there were eye witnesses to the attack and despite the fact that JORGENSEN and "the Shyster" admitted "the Mutant" attacked the cat! The following are the critical parts of LINDA JANOWITZ' "exam" and findings, which are cherry picked from Hercules' vet findings.

History: Possible Dog Attack
Gross Necropsy Findings: A necropsy was not performed due to the body being frozen. Report based on review of Dr Wilson's findings: pneumothorx; mandibular symphyseal fracture; fractured upper canine tooth with exposed pulp; severely fractured pelvis
Cause of Death: Euthanized
Remarks: The above findings are not typical of a dog attack. Normally one sees multiple rib fractures and thoracic trauma in dog attack victims. The fractured mandible and severely fractured pelvis are more indicative of a hit-by-car type injury. The cat reportedly was picked up and mauled by a dog, but I cannot determine if the injuries seen were the result of a dog attack, or a hit-by-car injury.

Multiple rib fractures and chest trauma would be present in dog attack victims IF that is the region of the body that the dog grabbed and crushed. Dr JANOWITZ chose to ignore the AC request for a necropsy. She chose not to thaw the body to perform a necropsy in all likelihood so that she could present her alternative bogus report about "hit-by-car" injuries more convincingly, which would in turn open the door for BILODEAU'S reversal of the vicious dog declaration and stay of execution. But in hindsight, it probably wouldn't have mattered to BILODEAU if JANOWITZ suggested aliens abducted the cat, killed it, returned it to earth and dropped it into "the Mutant's" waiting jaws.

The following are the critical parts of BILODEAU'S decision:

• According to oral testimony and written statements presented at the hearing on December 13, 2012, "Gracie" escaped her primary residence at 30 Terrier Place in Hillsborough when a visitor left the front door ajar.
• Mrs. Kellie Meyers and Mr Marty Webster witnessed "Gracie" loose in the neighborhood and in the front yard of Mrs. Meyers' mother's residence on the day of the incident.
• Mrs Wesendunk stated in oral and written testimony that she witnessed "Gracie" attacking "Hercules" on her driveway.
• The gross necropsy findings were inconclusive as to the manner in which "Hercules" sustained his injuries. The Veterinary report states: "...findings are not typical of a dog attack. Normally one sees multiple rib fractures and thoracic trauma in dog attacks victims... more indicative of a hit-by-car type injury. This cat reportedly was picked up and mauled by a dog, but I cannot determine if the injuries seen were the result of a dog attack, or a hit-by-car injury.
• Written testimony from several animal behaviorists stated that "Gracie" is not an aggressive dog and/or "threat to humans".
• During a site visit I conducted at the animal shelter on December 13, 2012, "Gracie" did not display any aggressive behavior, was able to follow commands, and did not bark at me.
• PHS does not have any documented history of "Gracie" being loose and/or any reports of incidents indicating that "Gracie" was a threat to the health and safety of the community. Although several residents stated they had seen "Gracie" loose on prior occasions, no reports were made.

BILODEAU wrote in her decision to downgrade GRACIE'S designation from Vicious to Dangerous:

According to oral testimony and written statements presented at the hearing and from additional written statements received in a 24 hour period following the hearing, on November 14, 2012, "Gracie" escaped from your residence at 30 Terrier Place in Hillsborough and was found on driveway at 1485 Bairn Drive in Hillsborough with a stray cat named "Hercules" in her mouth. Because of severe injuries and the attending veterinarian's recommendations, "Hercules" was euthanized at the Crystal Springs Pet Hospital in San Mateo on November 14, 2012.

Did you catch that? BILODEAU writes in her decision that the cat was a STRAY, further devaluing the victims, the cat AND the owner. I almost missed it. Does BILODEAU really think JORGENSEN'S neighbors would go to this amount of trouble if a stray cat was killed in their neighborhood, not to mention, Vicky Wesendunk would not be carrying around a framed photo of a stray cat and crying over it's loss. According to the ACO report, Hercules was a stray that took refuge at the Wesendunks. He had been living there for SIXTEEN years. In my city, if you provide food and shelter for a stray cat for 30 days, he is considered your property.

On to the rest of this nefarious mess...
First JANOWITZ and then BILODEAU ignored the eye witnesses who pried the cat from the frankenmauler's jaws, the ACO report and JORGENSEN'S admission of guilt in favor of the mythical car accident. It is fascinating to me how BILODEAU could not only buy into JANOWITZ' bizarre alternative reality of the events but how she could turn running around a house, jumping up at the windows and doors trying to gain entrance into the home into "witnessed running loose". That right there should tell you this woman completely lacks professionalism and objectivity. BILODEAU accepted without question the testimony of 4 "animal behaviorists" as proof that GRACIE was not aggressive to humans, completely ignoring the two statements to the contrary. And dismissing criteria number 3 which specifically states "Any animal which inflicts severe injury on or kills a human being OR another animal", not both, I simply do not understand how BILODEAU can dismiss the evidence of human aggression and buy into the doubt cast by JANOWITZ that GRACIE killed the cat and still declare GRACIE dangerous. It defies logic. Either she did all of the things she was accused of and she is dirt napped or she didn't and she goes home without conditions. Even though BILODEAU seemed to think GRACIE was as wonderful as her legion of fans testified, BILODEAU ended her report by concluding that "the Mutant" must be declared Dangerous and be kept muzzled whenever off of her property and carry a $1,000,000 insurance policy. Wow. A million dollar policy for a dog that only found a cat that was hit by a car and never menaced anyone.

The Sanitization and Minimization of Facts
Pit bull advocates are notorious for down playing their mutants' carnage. A mauling so savage that the anatomy of pelvic region was unidentifiable is referred to as "The Incident". A brutal off property mauling of an animal on its own property is further sanitized and minimized by referring to the mauling as an "unfortunate accident" and the cat as a victim of "natural predatory behavior". According to Hillsborough 6.04.010, GRACIE qualified for the Vicious designation purely from the act of killing the cat. Whether Gracie had ever curled her lip, growled, snapped, nipped or menaced a human being is irrelevant. FACT: the mere act of killing the cat was sufficient grounds for the Vicious designation and ultimately a dirt nap in Hillsborough. But somehow, "the Shyster" (WAGMAN) was able to make this case ALL about GRACIE'S past behavior towards humans and dogs, sweeping the brutal death of Hercules under the rug along with his grieving traumatized owners. Speculation about "the Mutant's" behavior towards Kellie Meyers as misinterpreted so as to paint Meyers as hysterical and escalating GRACIE'S behavior borders on defamation. A real judge would have over ruled that but not BILODEAU. She was more than happy to entertain any lie "The Shyster" threw her way.

Dr. JANOWITZ is a liar and total shit bag for using her position with the PHS/SPCA and as a vet to fraudulently push her own agenda - saving all dogs at any costs, even if that means risking other lives in the process. However, JANOWITZ' vet report did not have to be utilized by the decision maker BILODEAU. BILODEAU made great use of it as her ace-in-the-whole card to circumvent the entire hearing process that was supposed to be about finding the truth and the best course of action for the killer pit bull and the neighborhood. Instead of being a non-biased, hearing official, she favored the pit bull owner from the start, disenfranchised the neighbors throughout the hearing, ignored all the relevant evidence in the form of witness statements and hearing testimony, and manipulated the system to formulate the decision she desired to make, even though that puts innocent lives at risk. WAGMAN is a scoundrel whose motives and cliche arguments and carpet bag full of tricks were transparent. WAGMAN played dirty, downplayed the cat attack and portrayed the neighbors as fools who are afraid of our their own shadows. His bullshit wouldn't have worked with a professional, unbiased hearing official with an ounce of common sense and integrity who had not already made up her mind about the case. A real hearing official would not have discounted the evidence from the neighbors and would have only weighed the testimony and briefs submitted by WAGMAN.

Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified: Part 1, "the Incident" 

Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified: Part 2, The Appeal

Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified:Part 3, "The Professionals"

Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified: Part 4, The Brief - Lies, Exaggerations, Illogical Conclusions, Inconsistencies and Speculations 

Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified: Part 5, The miscreants, science whores, dirty hippies, kidults and philanthropic robber barons