Animal Control Agency Sued for Holding Dog

YORBA LINDA —  It looks like Boo might be heading back to court.

Stephen Williams, the Yorba Linda CPA and owner of Boo the bull mastiff, has filed a lawsuit accusing Orange County Department of Animal Control officials of failing to live up to a court-approved plan to reunite Boo with his owners.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Orange County Superior Court, seeks $100,000 in damages--$50,000 to offset what Williams said it cost to save Boo’s life and $50,000 because the Williams family doesn’t have its dog back yet.

Boo’s trip through the legal system began Dec. 28, 1995, when the 140-pound dog attacked a 7-year-old neighbor who followed the Williamses’ son onto the family’s backyard patio. The boy’s injuries required 60 stitches and 30 staples.

County animal control officers impounded Boo and sought to destroy him as a dangerous animal. Williams won a reprieve for the dog by contesting the execution order in court, arguing successfully that Boo was not vicious but merely protecting the Williamses’ property.

In October, Superior Court Judge Tully H. Seymour overrode Williams’ objections to the requirements of a release plan, and said Boo could go home if the Williamses adhered to strict rules, including muzzling Boo unless he was in a kennel, with a trainer or with the Williams inside their home.

The lawsuit argues that county animal control officials have not implemented the plan and that Boo remains in a kennel.