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Family pleads to reclaim pets

The New Orleans residents appeal for their Katrina-displaced dogs, whose new owners aren't budging.

By DEMORRIS A. LEE
Published June 28, 2006

	[Times photo: Cherie Diez]
	Steven and Dorreen Couture with their grandchildren, Steven Couture, 4, and Cassidy Couture, 7, during a news conference Tuesday at Pinellas County Animal Services. The family was separated from their dogs during Hurricane Katrina and traveled to Florida to appeal for the return of the pets.
	[Times photo (2005): Brian Cassella]
	Hillsborough prosecutor Pam Bondi at home with her St. Bernard, Noah, who was adopted after being rescued from New Orleans. He had belonged to the Coutures before Katrina struck.
	[Special to the Times]
	A Couture family photo shows Nila, foreground, and Master Tank in 2004.
	Master Tank or Noah? Should the new owners of the dogs adopted after Katrina return them to their original owners? Yes, absolutely No way

LARGO - Steven and Dorreen Couture sat before reporters Tuesday, trying to put a child's face on their Hurricane Katrina saga.

On their laps sat their 7-year-old granddaughter Cassidy and 4-year-old grandson Steven.

After months of e-mails, phone calls and interviews, the Coutures drove two days from the New Orleans area to plead for their dogs, Master Tank the St. Bernard and Nila the shepherd mix.

"I'm making a plea," Steven Couture said as his grandson twisted and turned in his lap. "Please give me my dogs back."

Master Tank and Nila were rescued by the Pinellas Humane Society from the St. Bernard Parish of New Orleans in Katrina's aftermath in September. Soon after, the two dogs were adopted by two Tampa Bay area residents who have refused to return them.

Pam Bondi, the Hillsborough County prosecutor who adopted the St. Bernard, which she has renamed Noah, said Tuesday she saved the dog's life.

"I legally fostered and adopted a dying dog who had a serious medical condition that long predated the hurricane," Bondi said. "Just like a child that's adopted, I plan on loving him, caring for him and providing care for him for the rest of his life because that's what Noah deserves."

Rhonda Rineker of Dunedin, who is listed as having adopted Nila, declined to comment.

Bondi says that the St. Bernard was an outside dog in New Orleans where temperatures can reach well above 100 degrees. Moreover, she contends, the dog was dying of heartworms.

"Had he been properly cared for, I would have been driving him back to New Orleans myself," Bondi said.

The Coutures say, yes, the St. Bernard was an outside dog, but he was fed and watered every day and was taken to the veterinarian when needed. They say the dog was diagnosed with heartworms when it was 10 months old, but it was being treated, taking monthly medication.

Ceily Trog, manager of St. Bernard Parish Animal Control, also disputes that the dog was dying from heartworms or was near death when brought to the shelter.

"If he had been as close to death as Ms. Bondi claims, he would never have been placed on a transport that would take on a good day over 10 hours to get to the destination," Trog said in a June 9 e-mail.

The Coutures blame the Pinellas Humane Society and its former director, Rick Chaboudy. The family contends that the agency never sent them a letter before the dogs were adopted, a county requirement.

"Typically, a certified letter would be sent out in adoption cases like this," said Bill Mazurek, interim director at the Humane Society. "Rick (Chaboudy) was driving the show at that time, but that is standard protocol."

Chaboudy abruptly resigned from the Humane Society in May after more than 20 years. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but Louis Kwall, the Humane Society's attorney, is satisfied with the society's actions.

"Our job was to take care of the animals," Kwall said. "We did our best to find owners. We don't have any custody over them. They were adopted out. We believe we acted appropriately at all times, and we are comfortable with the things we did."

The Coutures' dogs were among thousands of animals separated from their owners during Katrina. The Pinellas Humane Society rescued 288 of them. A Sept. 18 photo taken at the St. Bernard Parish shelter shows Master Tank and Nila and listed Steven Couture as their owner.

According to Pinellas Humane Society documents, the two dogs arrived at the shelter on Sept. 21 and were then adopted in October by Bondi and Rineker. The documents note that Steven Couture was their owner.

The Coutures said they finally learned in January that the dogs were in Pinellas County. They tried again for months to get help.

They finally got a response in March when Dr. Kenny Mitchell, Pinellas County's director of veterinary services, got a copy of a Humane Society spreadsheet listing the dogs.

As a result of the Coutures' dilemma, Pinellas County adopted an ordinance June 20 that would make all adoptions conditional for up to 120 days after the date of the state of emergency declaration.

"It gives people who may be in the situation like the Coutures more time to recover their animals," Mitchell said.

Steven Couture, with cameras pointing at him, said Tuesday he is a carpenter who is neither wealthy nor poor. He said his two grandchildren have lost their parents and their home in the past several years.

"The only thing they have is these dogs and us. ... They want the dogs back. It should have never happened," he said

His grandson looked up at him and asked: "Are we going to get the dogs back?"

Demorris A. Lee can be reached at 445-4174 or dalee@sptimes.com.

[Last modified June 28, 2006, 01:46:36]