{"id":96568,"date":"2018-12-21T16:00:12","date_gmt":"2018-12-21T23:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dog-banned-from-durango-shows-up-in-town-could-be-euthanized\/"},"modified":"2018-12-21T16:00:12","modified_gmt":"2018-12-21T23:00:12","slug":"dog-banned-from-durango-shows-up-in-town-could-be-euthanized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dog-banned-from-durango-shows-up-in-town-could-be-euthanized\/","title":{"rendered":"Dog banned from Durango shows up in town, could be euthanized"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"A
A dog banned from Durango in 2015 was found earlier this month in town, putting Animal Protection and a municipal judge in a tough spot to decide the animal\u2019s future.<\/span>Courtesy of La Plata County Humane Society<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

A 5-year-old pit bull mix \u2013 the only dog that\u2019s ever been banned from Durango city limits \u2013 showed up in town earlier this month, and the outcome doesn\u2019t look good.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably not going to have a happy ending,\u201d said Chris Nelson, director of Animal Services at the La Plata County Humane Society<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s a sad tale of woe, but mostly because of the negligence of its first owner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Issues with the male pit bull, Ozzy, date to 2013 and his first owner, Kevin Chuvala, who could not be reached for this story.<\/p>\n

According to court records, Ozzy was impounded in April, June and again in August 2013 for running at-large (essentially off leash).<\/p>\n

In four separate incidents in September 2013, the dog attacked a pedestrian, jumped a fence and attacked another dog, got into a dog fight and attacked another dog.<\/p>\n

As a result, Ozzy was listed as a vicious dog, which means the owner was required to keep him in proper confinement so he couldn\u2019t escape.<\/p>\n

But in October 2013, Ozzy was seen running off leash at Santa Rita Park and he was picked up and impounded at the Humane Society.<\/p>\n

A court order in November 2013 said Chuvala had to give up Ozzy. A friend of Chuvala\u2019s, however, ended up adopting Ozzy and giving Ozzy back to him, which was confirmed when Ozzy was seen at-large again with Chuvala in June 2014.<\/p>\n

In April 2015, Ozzy escaped the yard and attacked a small dog, also biting the owner of the small dog.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Durango Municipal Court Judge Jim Casey decided against euthanization. Instead, he ordered Ozzy be relocated to Chuvala\u2019s brother\u2019s home in Texas, but with one major condition: \u201cShould Ozzy be located within city limits of Durango at any date in the future, following his release to go to Texas, he shall be immediately impounded and the stay on his euthanization shall be lifted,\u201d Casey wrote.<\/p>\n

Casey did not return calls requesting comment for this story.<\/p>\n

How Ozzy ended up back in Durango is both random and murky, Nelson said.<\/p>\n

It appears Chuvala took the pit bull to Texas but, at some point, moved to Albuquerque. Nelson said Chuvala gave up Ozzy to an animal shelter in Albuquerque.<\/p>\n

Then, it looks like the person who adopted Ozzy in Albuquerque gave him to a friend, who coincidentally lives in Durango.<\/p>\n

Around 2 a.m. Dec. 7, Animal Protection responded to a call of a dog off leash outside a business. The dog was impounded, and Humane Society staff scanned the dog\u2019s identification chip, and it was the same pit bull, Ozzy, that was banned in 2015.<\/p>\n

Nelson refused to release the name of the current owner but said he is part of the homeless community in town. Ozzy was going by a different name, and the current owner told Nelson he did not know Ozzy was banned from Durango.<\/p>\n

It is unclear if the current owner knows Chuvala.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to get the details out of him,\u201d Nelson said.<\/p>\n

Currently, Ozzy is impounded at the Humane Society, and what to do with him is still being decided. The only two options appear to have Ozzy live in a shelter the rest of his life or euthanization.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a call Judge Casey will ultimately have to make.<\/p>\n

David Edelstein with Team Pit-A-Full<\/a>, an advocacy group for pit bulls based in Denver, said Judge Casey\u2019s original decision to put off euthanization was \u201cextremely generous\u201d and gave Ozzy a second chance.<\/p>\n

This time around, it may not go so well, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough we don\u2019t agree with it, we totally understand the position the judge is in right now in being forced to put the animal down,\u201d Edelstein said. \u201cThis dog, unfortunately, is a product of a very irresponsible environment, and he\u2019s probably going to end up losing his life because of this irresponsible person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edelstein said it may be possible to send Ozzy to an out-of-state shelter or rescue. A group would have to step up and take on that responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven at 5 years old, with a history like this, it\u2019s never too late\u201d to rehabilitate the dog, he said.<\/p>\n

Nelson said it\u2019s a tough situation. The dog is sweet around people, he said, but it doesn\u2019t get along too well with other dogs.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll we wanted was for (Chuvala) to be responsible and keep the dog safe,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cAnd he\u2019s never done that, and the dog is likely going to suffer the consequences, unfortunately.\u201d<\/p>\n

jromeo@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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