SCRANTON — A couple who had a pack of cane corso mastiffs at their Minooka home have complied with a court order to remove all of the dogs from the house, their attorney told a judge Tuesday.
As a result, Lackawanna County Judge Mark Powell did not impose any sanctions on the husband, John Dodge, who was the defendant in the city’s injunction lawsuit regarding the excessive number and handling of the mastiffs at the 421 Campbell St. home of Dodge and his wife, Janelle.
“All of the dogs have been removed from the property,” defense attorney Tullio DeLuca told the judge.
Tuesday’s proceeding was the latest development in an injunction lawsuit filed May 19 by Scranton against John Dodge over the excessive number of dogs at the home and their oversight and impact on the neighborhood; and a zoning violation by operating a kennel in a residence.
Powell first heard the case May 27, and John Dodge did not attend the hearing. In a June 10 ruling, Powell determined the dogs and their handling constituted a public nuisance and ordered Dodge to remove all of the dogs. When Dodge had not complied, the city on June 27 filed a “petition for sanctions based on the defendant’s civil contempt of a court order.”
Powell then held a hearing July 15 on the contempt claim and both Dodges attended. Janelle Dodge testified that day that a constable previously delivered legal papers addressed to her husband in the injunction but she had not opened her husband’s mail. Janelle also testified she “was not purposefully breeding” the dogs and had been trying to rehome most of them; she started a website for Superior Cane Corso Kennels to attract buyers; she wanted to ensure the dogs went to appropriate owners; she had about 14 dogs at that time, none of which were spayed or neutered; she wanted to keep five of the dogs and return to living in the Back Mountain area.
Powell on July 15 ordered that dogs 12 months old or younger and their mother if still lactating be taken immediately by state dog warden officials to Nala’s Animal Rescue and Sanctuary in Wright Twp., which agreed to take that category of the dogs. Powell also ordered the Dodges to discontinue operation of their Superior Cane Corso Kennel at the Campbell Street home, and “rehome” any remaining adult dogs not taken to Nala’s.
Powell scheduled a follow-up hearing for Tuesday to learn of the outcome and asked how many of the dogs went to Nala’s and the disposition of the rest. Scranton Assistant City Solicitor Mariclare Hayes said six dogs were taken July 15 to Nala’s and there was some dispute over which dogs were eligible to be taken to the rescue operation.
The Dodges “do not want to surrender ownership of the dogs,” and they want to move elsewhere where the dogs would be allowed, Hayes told the judge.
Hayes asked the judge to set a time frame for the Dodges to reclaim the dogs from Nala’s. Powell set that time period as up to 30 days. Hayes also sought an order from the judge to allow Nala’s to get veterinary care for the dogs at Nala’s and have Dodge pay those bills. Powell agreed, saying, “Mr. Dodge, those are going to be your financial obligations.”
With six dogs taken to Nala’s, the location of the other eight dogs removed from the Campbell Street home by the Dodges was not specified in court.
Asked after the hearing where the other eight dogs went, DeLuca declined to comment specifically but said of those dogs, “They’re being taken care of.”
A breed of Italian lineage, the name of cane corso roughly translates from Latin as “bodyguard dog.”
A photo of several cane corso mastiff dogs on a rear deck of 421 Campbell St. in Scranton, as taken from a neighboring home at 2426 Pittson Ave. (COPY OF PHOTO / COURTESY OF DAWN HAFNER)
A photo of several cane corso mastiff dogs on a rear deck of 421 Campbell St. in Scranton, as taken from a neighboring home at 2426 Pittson Ave. (COPY OF PHOTO / COURTESY OF DAWN HAFNER)
A photo of several cane corso mastiff dogs on a rear deck of 421 Campbell St. in Scranton, as taken from a neighboring home at 2426 Pittson Ave. (COPY OF PHOTO / COURTESY OF DAWN HAFNER)