This article appeared in out local paper this morning. This just makes me so angry!!
September 1, 2006
Stay away from that dog!
That's what a Queens criminal court judge ruled Thursday when he listed a 5-year-old bichon frise named Be Be as a party in a domestic order of protection.
Frederick Fontanez, 20, charged with animal torture in the alleged beating of the dog, cannot come within a dog collar's length of Be Be until he stands before the judge again on Oct. 10.
The novel use of the order was brought on by Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, believed to be the first city prosecutor to use it to shield a companion pet from abuse since Gov. George Pataki signed the measure into law last month. Brown could not immediately be reached for comment.
Fontanez's friend, Derek Lopez, also was listed in the order, though it was not clear from the complaint if he had suffered any kind of physical injury.
According to the criminal complaint, Fontanez, of the Bronx, was pet-sitting the white dog at Lopez's South Ozone Park home on July 20 while Lopez was away at work.
Alone with the 14-pound pooch, Fontanez rigorously beat him, the complaint says, leaving the dog with a purple, four-inch bruise on his back, a gash on his right eye and a bad limp. Witnesses reported hearing the dog yelp and scream, the complaint says.
A veterinarian later confirmed animal abuse, the complaint says, and Fontanez was arrested at Lopez's home yesterday. Lopez could not be reached for comment.
Queens Criminal Court Judge Alex Zigman released Fontanez on $2,500 bail. Fontanez and his attorney, Steven Sternberg, could not be reached for comment.
Joe Pentangelo, a spokesman for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, praised Brown for being the first to use the new law, which also has been adopted in Maine.
"This is groundbreaking," Pentangelo said. "As pets, animals have been ignored as victims of domestic violence."