April 25, 2008

SEACAUCUS, N.J. -- Congo will live after all. A Princeton, N.J., court ruling put the German Shepherd on death row for attacking a landscaper last June. But Congo’s owners appealed the case, and a settlement has now been reached – thus, removing that ominously ticking clock from over Congo’s head.

Eds. note: Pet Pulse first began coverage of this story Nov. 14, 2007, "Congo is Slated for Euthanization After Attacking a Man", and published additional updates on Nov. 16, 2007, "Congo is Now Home Awaiting Appeal" and Dec. 5, 2007, "Congo's Law". Please see these stories for additional details.

“I think the settlement itself is a good balance between the township, the state and our family,” owner Guy James said.

The dog’s owners, Guy and Elizabeth James, had contended that Congo acted in self-defense, thinking Mrs. James was being attacked.

In the settlement, the James’ meet their goal of not having Congo labeled dangerous. In exchange, they must maintain the fence around their property, post signs saying there are dogs present, muzzle their dogs when they’re off their property, and notify the township if any of the dogs are sold.

“The day that the judge said it’s over, we kind of walked out of the courtroom like, wow,” said Mrs. James, who now can fully enjoy playing with Congo without wondering if he is going to “be here tomorrow.”

“So the night before the Judge said that, there was always that chance,” Mrs. James said of Congo’s possibility of being euthanized. “So since that day, it’s been a lot easier to breathe and to sleep.”

As a result of the lawsuit and the family’s ordeal, New Jersey Assemblyman Neil Cohen has written pending legislation called Congo’s Law.

The bill would make it tougher for dogs to be impounded during legal proceedings against them, as Congo was for about five months. And animal control officers would no longer have the authority to order death sentences for dogs, as one did in Congo’s case.

“It’ll definitely benefit a lot of people -- I think we’re in a situation where a lot of families are really unable to fight to save their dogs,” Mr. James said. “So I think it’s really important that the law is put in place, so it can protect a lot of the individuals that need to be protected.”

Now that Congo’s life has been saved, the family’s new goal is being launched next week with the Web site Congoslaw.com. Through the site the family hopes to support the pending legislation, and to raise awareness and money for dogs facing a plight similar to Congo.

While the site is waiting to be launched, Congo has his own MySpace page. During the case, the James’ received thousands of supportive e-mails from as far as Africa, India and Australia.

“It opened my eyes to how many animal lovers there are and how they network,” said Mrs. James. “And just Congo’s MySpace page alone, it’s crazy, the people that you meet.”

As for Congo, he’s reunited with his mate, Lucia, and enjoying his freedom. No worse for the wear, or the settlement.

“He’s having fun, living life, enjoying himself with his siblings, Lucia (Congo’s mate),” said Mr. James. “It’s not changing anything in his life.”

Except now, he’s known world wide as a champion for animal rights.

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Eds. note: Because the details of the specific events leading to today's news story are a story in and of itself, below is a re-posting of the original story as reported by Matt Van Hoven.

Congo is Slated for Euthanization After Attacking a Man

November 14, 2007

NEW JERSEY – A dog named Congo is slated for euthanization after attacking a man. His owners say he was only defending his master.

At 6:40 a.m. on June 5th of this year, Guy James looked out his bedroom window and noticed the landscapers he hired had arrived – albeit an hour early.

From his window, James instructed the workers to remain in their car until he gave further notice. That's because his six German Shepherds – two adults and four puppies – were outside, and he didn't want the dogs to frighten the workers.

Fifteen minutes later, the men got out of the car to begin working. Mrs. Elizabeth James had come outside with her son to look for one of the puppies who had not shown up for the morning feeding.

She noticed the men had exited their car, contrary to her husband's instructions. As Mrs. James neared the workers, the three six month-old puppies approached one of the men, who was holding a five-foot long metal rake.

The dogs began barking at the man, who was a stranger to them, at which point he hit them with a rake. By this point, Congo and Lucia (the adult female) had taken notice of the situation – likely because their pups were yelping in pain.

Another man, Mr. Giovanni Rivera, was standing near Mrs. James and Congo. Afraid of the large male dog, he grabbed Mrs. James' shoulders. She screamed, and that's when Congo jumped at Mr. Rivera's back.

In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Mrs. James led Mr. Rivera to her car, which was nearby, intending to separate the man from the dogs.

Before they got there, Mr. Rivera fell to the ground. In doing so, he grabbed Mrs. James, bringing her down with him.

And that's where it gets cloudy. The dogs began scratching and biting Mr. Rivera, in what the James' call defense of their master. Rivera's lawyer claims it was a mauling.

But neither Mr. Rivera nor Mrs. James could identify which dog inflicted the wounds – wounds that won Mr. Rivera $250,000. Mr. Rivera testified that his hands were covering his face during the attack. Mrs. James was also unable to identify the landscaper's attackers.