In the matter of.......

The first week of the New Year has brought me back to March 2005. I can't write and share all the details although my New Year has been meeting with Lawyers, sitting in a Provincial Court room testifying as a witness to a complaint I made to the SPCA back in 2005. (Above are already published News clips of the case I've been summoned to witness at)Last year I was summoned to court, (thought it was over) then with the application against this certain individual she won an appeal, that lead to another summons to court on New Years Eve, starting my New Year in a stuffy, stressful and interrogating situation. It's nice when you're advised that if you do not attend as required, an application may be made to a Judge of the Provincial Court to issue a warrant for your arrest. This case has been going on for years against a certain individual, not only am I a witness, there is more then six others! Two SPCA complaints that were horrific and this individual is definitely intelligent and representing herself. Because she's representing herself, she also cross examines every ones testaments. I found this ironically bizarre. Today, all day I developed many different emotions. Feeling my heart flutter into panic, asking for water because I didn't correctly name the exact part on my little multi poos body was enough to send me into a slight argument reasoning why I called it what I did. Too feeling like I messed up my whole statement while being clearly confused on multiple pictures that I had to remember from six years ago. The case? The accused is trying to save her three dogs from being euthanized from incidences (attacks) that started back in 2003. Two attacks that were horrific. My story. (Which I am allowed to explain) Our family lived in a different area that we do now, I used to run around this 2 km loop in our old neighborhood with our two dogs. Our two older dogs now deceased. Fritz and Chester. Fritz was my Multi poo and Chester was our chocolate lab. During this one incident, these three dogs came running out of her property barking and one of her dogs bit the back of my Multi poo. I immediately picked him up, yelling at the dogs to go away while the owner smiled from her fence line. This is the call I made to the SPCA that puts me where I am today. On another incident, she was out on the road with her dogs and her horse. Her dogs were off leash. I again, immediately picked up my little dog, trying to walk past her. That's when she approached me with her horse near my face, I asked her to back off with her horse. She then told me to stay off the street or she'll sick her horse on me. From then on, I ran the other way. In the court room today she cross examined me with pictures, with statements from last year, with the initial complaint report from 2005 and to proceed for approximately an hour asking me about the size of my dog that isn't irrelevant to the attack itself. Waving a stuffed dog in comparison on the size of what a multi poo should be. Her possible point was multi poos must of looked like rabbits to her dogs. (Not sure) As I was listening to the other witnesses at points I cried. The mauling, blood, broken bones and trauma the owners and their children experienced is horrific. A traumatic experience they have to re-live in the court room yearly after winning appeals. This I couldn't understand. Here is a owner protecting her three dogs that have been labelled vicious, they have torn apart other peoples pets and she's cross examining us? This case has made the news last year, it's located all over the Internet and hopefully is coming to a close. When reflecting back it made me remember how terrifying dog attacks can be, how helpless you feel, the intimidation to run the other way. Now I as only one witness is facing hopefully justice. Hopefully these other families can have peace while still living in the same neighborhood. I was initially upset being summoned again but after a long day today, I realized I needed to be there for these other people that have suffered and still suffer the reality of these remaining issues. While watching this woman representing herself, I had feelings of "Wow" a strong lady, a lady that truly loves her three dogs to go to this extent to save them but while dressed in a Buddhist robe, holding prayer beads - she doesn't represent compassion. Compassion is showing compassion to all, today there was no compassion about our injured pets or how we were feeling. Clearly in the right frame in mind we eventually if not right away take responsibilities for what's right and wrong. As much as it's sad that the outcome should be the euthanizing of her dogs, it's the right choice for the continued protection of that neighborhood. Another day in court might answer that question. In the meantime, tomorrow (Friday) I'm back to the court room in hopes everyone can relax with some sense of peace. Some closure. Then I need to dispute my violation notice because I exceeded my parking time where there was no visible signs stating my time frame of where I parked! Always tickets issued in Emergency or Government parking lots! "Mmm..." I even parked a couple kilometres away to avoid what they placed nicely on my windshield and I'm still smiling because this is going to be an excellent 2011!