Defense attorney Fernando Chacon, who is known for representing underdogs in tough cases, said Monday he intends to intervene on behalf of two dogs suspected of killing a pronghorn antelope and a sand hill crane at the El Paso Zoo last week.
Ray Sim, the deputy director of the city’s Department of Health and the man in charge of the Animal Services Division, said the two dogs that were trapped by authorities near the zoo are locked up and stand little chance to avoid being put down this week.
“I read the newspaper, and I realized the investigation into the accusations of these two dogs might entail breed profiling, as they were a pit bull and a mixed breed,” Chacon said. “I think these two dogs are wrongfully accused, and I think if we determine the owner, we can find alibi witnesses for both of them.
“We’re going to make a pitch, perhaps file a so-called emotion to see whether the dogs should be put to sleep.”
Sim said Chacon contacted him about the dogs and was referred to the city attorney’s office.
The dogs, a pit bull and the a German Shepard mixed breed, aren’t being held as suspects in the zoo killings, Sim said, but as unclaimed strays that are unapproachable and ill-suited for adoption because of their unfriendly temperaments.
“They are simply strays,” he said. “We are holding them as we would any other stray animal for potential reclaim by an owner.”
Three dogs that apparently dug under a fence to enter the zoo late Wednesday night killed the antelope and crane.
Sim described the two captured dogs as well fed, indicating that they had been in someone’s care “or that they were taking very good care of themselves.”
“As I explained to Mr. Chacon, I am not adverse to someone adopting these animals and trying to rehabilitate them if, in fact, they can demonstrate that they have the proper facilities to make sure that these animals don’t become a threat to any other animals in the community or to human beings,” he said.
Today is the third day and on Wednesday, they become the city’s property. Then, a decision will be made about what to do with them.
“If they had any ID, we would hold them for six days, but they didn’t have any ID, microchips or tags,” Sim said.
That means they will probably be put down by Thursday, he said.
“We have 20,000 animals a year that come through this facility, and the majority of them are euthenized because nobody wants to adopt them,” Sim said. “They will be two among 200 this week.”
Chacon said he has never represented a dog before, but did have to pay a lawyer years ago to represent a dog of his that was accused of killing another dog.
“He was represented by Patrick Garcia before he became a judge,” Chacon said.
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To reach David Crowder, write to dcrowder@epmediagroup.com or call (915) 351-0605.
