“Justice for Vanessa” is a phrase many dog lovers and western New Yorkers have heard the past year. Vanessa is a Pit Bull who lived with her owner, Jeremy Wolf, in Ogden until July 2020. Jeremy has owned dogs for more than 20 years and was a volunteer at Rochester Animal Services when he first met Vanessa. In 2016, Vanessa was found abandoned in an unoccupied house in the city. Starving, sick, and injured, RAS took Vanessa into the shelter. She quickly became the staff favorite with her sweet personality. Vanessa had a deformed rear leg which required either a costly surgery or amputation. The shelter raised the money to save Vanessa’s leg, and Jeremy volunteered to foster her during her recovery and rehabilitation.
After six months of fostering Vanessa, Jeremy adopted her. According to Jeremy, “Vanessa was thriving in the stability of our home. She bonded with my family and became a support animal to a disabled family member.” During the four years that Vanessa lived with Jeremy in Ogden, she never bit anyone, nor did he have any concerns that she was aggressive or dangerous. “Her life turned 180 degrees, and she was thriving. That was until July 7, when her world came crashing down.
On the morning of July 7, 2020, Vanessa was accused of biting a neighbor. Jeremy’s girlfriend, Kerry, was walking her dog and Vanessa in his front yard. The dogs were rolling on the edge of the grass when a neighbor was jogging by. According to Jeremy, “The dogs got startled, popped to their feet and began barking at the jogger while on leash. In the commotion, the neighbor tripped and fell near them. Kerry did not realize it, but one of the dogs bit the neighbor when she fell.” Shortly after the incident, the neighbor’s husband came to the house to inform Jeremy of what had happened. Kerry and Jeremy were both shocked to learn that one of their dogs bit someone.
The neighbors filed charges later that day, and the Animal Control Officer notified Jeremy that the dog was to remain in 10-day quarantine due to NYS laws pertaining to Rabies and dog bites. Jeremy would be scheduled to appear in the town court for a “dangerous dog” hearing. To Jeremy’s surprise, the next day, the police and Town Constable arrived at his home to seize Vanessa. He was told that the neighbor made a request to the town prosecutor to have the dog removed, and the request was being granted. Vanessa was abruptly seized and taken to an area kennel to be held until the hearing.
Jeremy hired a certified behavioral assessment done on Vanessa while she was living in the stressful confinement of isolation in a kennel with no human interaction. The certified evaluation revealed that Vanessa showed no aggressive tendencies whatsoever.
The hearing took place at the end of July, and despite the evaluation and conflicting accounts as to what actually happened, the town judge sentenced Vanessa to death. Jeremy immediately filed an appeal. Nearly a month passed, not knowing if Vanessa was properly cared for and receiving her prescription medications.
Jeremy obtained an order allowing Vanessa’s veterinarian to check on her and was horrified by what the veterinarian reported back. Vanessa had not received any of her medications since being seized; she was losing her fur, had sores and ulcerations on her body, muscle atrophy, and was covered in her own urine and feces. “She was not let out of her 6×8 kennel the entire time and the staff would occasionally clean her kennel by spraying it down with a hose while she was in it,” Jeremy said. The kennel was not climate controlled and lacked ventilation, which was especially dangerous as many days in July reached 90-degree temperatures with even higher heat indexes.
Vanessa’s inhumane treatment and neglect led Jeremy to file for an investigation with the Humane Society for animal cruelty charges. After the investigation, the kennel was shut down, and Vanessa was moved to an unknown veterinary hospital due to her condition. After nearly two weeks of not knowing where Vanessa was, Jeremy finally learned she had been moved to Pittsford Animal Hospital. Jeremy has not seen Vanessa or been allowed any updates on her health or well-being in nine months.
As the appeal was waiting to be heard in front of a higher county court, Vanessa was nominated in the ROC top dog contest, which is held annually by the Verona Street Animal Society. Each vote is worth a $1 donation to benefit the non-profit organization. Two hundred thirty dogs were in the contest, and $65,000 was raised. Vanessa won with 25 percent of all the votes, raising $15,000 for the non-profit. Three Heads Brewing company then created a special craft beer to honor Vanessa. Her picture is featured on cans of the Top Dog Ale, which is a hazy IPA.
Monroe County Court finally heard the appeal case three weeks ago. Monroe County Judge Michael Dollinger overturned the Ogden court’s decision to euthanize Vanessa. The County Court vacated the standing euthanasia order and ordered the Ogden Town Court to find a less severe option for Vanessa.
The hearing for Vanessa’s release and stipulations was scheduled at the Ogden Town Court for Monday, April 19, at 5 p.m. Three days later, Jeremy received a letter from the Ogden court informing him that the town was rescheduling the hearing for Vanessa’s release. With no stated cause, the hearing was pushed off another month to May 17. “There was no reason given on why they canceled this and pushed it off another month,” said a disappointed Jeremy. Court still met that day, but not to hear the case of Vanessa’s release plan. Many in the community were disappointed, frustrated, and outraged.
On April 19, when Vanessa’s release case was originally scheduled to occur, the area surrounding the court was filled with people and canine friends who came out to protest the town’s delay in releasing Vanessa. Many who couldn’t attend in person attended virtually on Facebook Live.
Vanessa has been held for nearly ten months now, and the family and much of the community are anxiously awaiting her return. “Vanessa is like everyone’s dog or, for that matter, could be anyone’s dog,” said one of the supporters.
Jeremy is moved by the ongoing support he has been receiving from so many fighting to have Vanessa returned to her home. “My family is extremely grateful for the overwhelming support we have received. Our number of supporters grows by the day, and it is truly heartwarming to see the number of people who have rallied around this cause.”
To stay up to date on Vanessa, follow the Facebook page “JusticeForVanessaRochesterNY“.
