10.30.2006

Judge Rules on Master Tank's Toenail

October 30, 2006

Judge: Noah is Master Tank

A judge has ruled that the dog adopted by Pam Bondi is the same dog a Louisiana couple lost during Hurricane Katrina.

Court proceedings continued today over the two dogs who were adopted from the Humane Society of Pinellas by Bondi of Tampa and Rhonda Rineker of Dunedin. Steven and Dorreen Couture of St. Bernard Parish, La., began court action to reclaim the dog they know as Master Tank.

A veteranarian who read in the Times about the court fight over ownership of the dogs testified Monday morning that it was impossible for one dog's toenail to have been removed without a surgical procedure.

Marie Y. DeCaire, a Largo vet, said the only way the toenail could not have grown back was if the digit was removed. This dog still has all of its digits.

Bondi, a Hillsborough County assistant state attorney, asserted in court Friday that the St. Bernard she adopted and named Noah is not the same dog that the Coutures lost.

Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Henry J. Andringa today ruled that the dog was Master Tank, the same dog that was rescued and adopted by Bondi. Andringa ruled that Bondi must return the dog to the Coutures.

Bondi's lawyer, Camille Godwin, said Bondi would post a bond equalling the dog's value so that Bondi can keep the dog until a final ruling is made during a trial. Otherwise, the dog would be returned to the Coutures until the trial is concluded.

After a short recess, court reconvened so that Andringa could determine the value of the dogs.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

After the toenail fiasco, the Coutures should be compensated for the suffering they are being forced to endure as a consequence of this protracted farce. Talk about reckless disregard for feelings and absence of basic human decency.

Anonymous said...

I hope after this is over and done the Coutures DO SUe for all the suffering and humiliation this woman has bestowed upon them....and she has the flippin nerve to travel to NO to see the brother in law - she has no shame. I hope the people of Pinellas County and also Hillsborough County, where she works, wise up and put a stop to her antics soon. If this woman had come forth and acted with a little compassion versus condemnation, there may have been a good outcome for her. Does lying under oath not count for some folks?

Anonymous said...

I feel sorry that so many are uninformed as to the happenings of this case...like why the Coutures chose to take their large screen tv with them when they were evacuated but NOT their pets...simple facts should be checked. These animals were extremely sick before they were left to perish and the women who saved them should be applauded not berated. The Coutures originally asked for MONEY to the tune of $200,000 per dog and when they were refused they decided to proceed through the courts. My heart goes out to the victims of Katrina who are actually trying to make their situations better not attempting to profit from their misfortune.

No Animal Left Behind said...

Dear Aninymous:

Sorry but you are completetly wrong as to your "facts" as well as your interpretation of events.

Neither Bondi nor Rineker "saved" Master Tank or Nila - they adopted them from the Humane Society which broke the guidelines set forth by HSUS and the ASPCA and in general behaved unethically.

And seriously, WTF is up with the comment about a "large screen TV?" I'm surprised you didn't try to claim that the Coutures looted a couple of stores or homes on their way out of town when evacuating. The comment is right up there with Ms. Brainiac's own remark about the toenail.