Here’s the story as I have heard it. There was a group of landscapers that arrived at the job site too early and were instructed to wait in their car until it was time to start. They didn’t. Instead they followed the woman of the house, Elizabeth James, to the back of the house, where the dogs were being fed. The dogs then came running towards James. One guy swings a rake at the puppies who came running and hits one of them in the head. Another one of the men, Giovanni Rivera, grabbed the woman and pulled her to the ground when the owner’s dog approached, causing her to scream. The dog, Congo, tried to protect its owner and went after the landscaper.

Now the dog is going to be killed:

The James’ have appealed the judge’s ruling that the dog be put down. Until the appeal is heard, Congo is permitted to stay with his family with some restrictions such as wearing a muzzle while he’s outdoors.

James said he’s rejected a plea deal that would allow Congo to escape euthanasia, provided the pet be labeled “potentially dangerous.” He said his dog is not dangerous, and admitting so would be wrong.

The other dogs, who were not ordered to be put down, were deemed to have joined in the attack after Congo.

The New Jersey police report says the attack was unprovoked, but does say that Congo did not attack until Rivera, grabbed James and made her scream:

According to Castro’s report, the closest contact between Rivera and Elizabeth James that Rivera initiated was when some of the Jameses’ dogs attempted to get at him.

“He then grabbed her and forcibly attempted to use her as a shield between himself and the dogs,” Castro wrote, citing information he got from Elizabeth James.

Um….hmmmm. That seems to me to be, oh, what’s the word I’m looking for here…oh yeah, PROVOCATION.

Did I mention yet that Rivera changed his story three times?

“I don’t know why they would believe Rivera,” James said. “He’s changed his story five times.”

Johnson refuted that claim. “He’s only changed it three times,” the animal warden corrected.

Let’s look at how vicious this dog Congo is. Animal control has stated that Congo’s behavior was unprovoked, but also stated that when he came to pick up Congo, the dog rolled over and exposed its belly and allowed the officer to rub it. Vicious beast, indeed.

And, there is this:

Guy James also garnered statements from several people who had been on his property and attested to the dogs’ friendly behavior, including John Pettenati, the township building inspector. In fact Pettenati nicknamed them “the happy dogs” because they were so pleasant.

Another animal expert brings some common sense to the issue:

Bill Olesky, a trainer from Belleville who has been training dogs for 21 years, said he has worked with and owned German shepherds since he was a child, including training dogs for the blind.

“The reason the guy got bit was he was afraid of the dogs. Olesky said. “He was the aggressor, grabbing the woman. In that action to a dog, he’s reading it as an aggressive action. A German shepherd will die for his master. All he was doing was protecting his pack. The owners were negligent. They deserve to be sued but they don’t deserve to have the dog put down.”

NO JUSTICE. NO PEACE. NO JUSTICE. NO PEACE. NO JUSTICE. NO PEACE. NO JUSTICE. NO PEACE. NO JUSTICE. NO PEACE.

Free Congo.