Posted on 11/09/2001 9:08:45 AM PST by B4Ranch
Homeless man is pleased to be reunited with his dog SOLANA BEACH -- Robert Thomas Northcut, a homeless man who has walked the city's streets for a decade, got a little impatient yesterday as he waited to be reunited with his dog. "All I want is my damn dog back," he repeated while crouching in front of the Do-It-Yourself Dog Wash. A couple of his Solana Beach friends, including Chris Tatum, owner of the dog wash, were there to wait with him. He relaxed when T.J., his German shepherd, arrived from the animal shelter in Carlsbad, where the dog had been held since last week. "I got him back," Northcut said as he walked T.J. -- or T.J. walked him -- along Acacia Avenue. "Everything's fine now." Yesterday, the county's Dangerous Dog Task Force decided it would not issue a notice declaring the dog a public nuisance for barking and lunging at city and transit workers in Solana Beach. County animal control officers say T.J. bit a man in May. Lt. Dean Maier, the animal control officer who made the final decision, could not be reached yesterday for comment. Lt. Danielle Spilker, who previously handled the case, said she wasn't sure why the task force chose to release the dog. "Usually when they release them at this point, there's not enough of a case," Spilker said. Northcut, 49, was arrested last week on outstanding warrants. He had been cited earlier for trespassing on a city-owned median where a World War II memorial sits. Northcut, who said he's a Navy veteran, and T.J. had set up camp beside the concrete memorial on Plaza Street near South Coast Highway 101. T.J. was taken to the county animal shelter in Carlsbad when his owner was arrested. Although Northcut was released after a few days, the dog was held until the task force could further examine the case. Jennifer Lynch, a Vista attorney who appeared in court on Northcut's behalf, paid a $25 impound fee and a $17 licensing fee to release the dog. The money had been donated by the public. Residents and veterans who wanted to help had flooded her office with calls and e-mails. "I'm not sure why (the task force) released the dog," Lynch said. "I can only hope that people's concern helped in getting the dog back sooner rather than later." Northcut admits his dog has bitten people. He says T.J. is "feisty" and protective of his master. The dog had been abused before being rescued in Tijuana and nursed back to health by Northcut and Tatum. When Lynch arrived with the dog yesterday, Tatum promptly muzzled him. "We don't want any more problems," Tatum said as T.J. tried to knock the muzzle off with a paw. "He'll just bounce around for a little while, but he's going to get used to it."
I love it!
I appreciate your concern about the dog danger, but many dog bites are survivable. As a lad, even I was bitten on the a** by a big German Shepard , and the bite wasn't too much worse than the bark . .
We owe a great deal to this man, and I wish him and his dog the best of luck.
I told my dad the WW II vet all about this story. It made his day, and probably his month too :-]. He just loves the enthusiastic activism shown by the patriotic people on this website!!!
I'm calling it as I see it,
and it ain't pretty!
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