The Colorado couple and former owner from Nebraska reach compromise over ownership.
Wheatridge, Colo., June 15, 2011; FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Attorneys with The Animal Law Center are happy to announce the amicable resolution of a unique case involving a female Rottweiler, which was adopted from an adoption event in Longmont but later turned out to have been stolen from a Nebraska ranch.
“Our clients, Dave and Diane Wilson of Longmont, attended an adoption event in December 2010, held at a national pet food chain store. There they adopted Ebony, an @18-month old Rottweiler,” said Jay Wayne Swearingen, attorney with The Animal Law Center. “However, when they went to have the animal micro-chipped, they discovered that the dog had been reported stolen.”
To the Wilson’s dismay, Ebony had been taken from a home in Gordon, Nebraska in early November of 2010. The previous owner, Tonya Brendt, had reported to local police that her animal pen had been broken into, and the Rottweiler and four puppies had been taken.
When the Wilsons realized they had adopted a stolen dog, they approached The Animal Law Center. Since they had grown attached to Ebony, they did not want to relinquish possession of the animal.
“There was the possibility that the Wilson’s could have been charged with receiving stolen property, which is a felony in Colorado,” said Jay Wayne Swearingen, attorney with The Animal Law Center. “At this point, the Wilson’s had paid the $200 adoption fee and had spent nearly $4,000 in veterinarian care for the animal. They wanted to find a way of keeping her.”
Swearingen negotiated a resolution to the unusual situation between the Wilsons and Brendt. In exchange for keeping Ebony, the Wilson’s have purchased a new Rottweiler puppy for Brendt. The families have also exchanged photographs of the animal and are very happy with the result.
“A woman who rescues animals in the Gordon, Nebraska area had taken Ebony to Longmont for the adoption event at the pet food store,” said Swearingen. “Now police in Nebraska are looking into how the animal came into her possession and ultimately the possession of the Wilson’s.”