Is there Justice Anymore?
These are a few of our kids that we have to find homes for due to a dog ordinance law change in November of 2000.
But it all started here.
In June of 2000 when my neighbor Perry Campolattara shot 3 of my pomeranians with a BB gun.
Luckily none of them died but 2 still have the bb's inside them. It would do more harm to the muscle and tissue surrounding the area to try and remove them.
The 3rd garnishes a scar in her ear leather where the bb pierced her ear.
Let me start by saying I have lived in this home since August of 1993 (actually all my life, it was purchased from my parents when they retired and moved) and Perry has lived next door to me the whole time (he bought his house from my family, as it was my grandmothers home). Not once was a complaint about my animals ever filed. Nor had he ever came to us or called saying the dogs were bothering him. But he now claims it was their barking that drove him to shoot them.
I hardly think dogs weighing between 4 and 6 pounds could drive a person to the brink of "insanity"!!
Not to mention that when my dogs were outside the only time they barked was when they were coaxed into doing so. Like him or his son beating on the side of the fence.
Or him peeping his ugly head over the fence to antagonize them. How immature can one person be?
Witht he exception, when someone would come to the house, they did their job and alerted us to their arrival by barking.
And if they seen a squirrell or something they saw fit to bark it out of the yard.
I think it actually started after we had a disagreement about some work he and my husband had agreed to swap labor on.
He is not only a animal abuser, he is a crook in his human nature also.
However I had filed complaints on him for throwing chicken bones wrapped in plastic over my fence, and for smearing dog crap down the side of my van. ( evidently he claimed our GSD had went into his yard and left a mess, yet never filed a complaint) Had he been a adult about it and let us know what happened, we glady would have went over apologized and cleaned up after our dog, if indeed it was even ours. Our shephard does wander the yard with my husband while he is outside working, but I can guarentee she doesn't leave his side. Other than that she is in our fenced area off the side of garage. We take every precaution to be responsible pet owners.
So anyway after I had found out he had shot my dogs. I had photographs of bb holes in his window screen along with bb's on my property and the x-rays of the bb's still in place in the 2 dogs.
I had called the police and filed a complaint but nothing was done about it. So I went to the county aniaml control, I gave them the photos and all the info and they found enough evidence to take it to the prosecutor and file charges.
In the meantime............
Perry had a "friend" on the town board(who was President) at the time. Perry proceeded to take video footage of my premises and then took those tapes to a town board meeting and asked his friend for help in making me "get rid" of my dogs.
Perry had attended court and pled to a lesser charge, was given a "slap" on the wrist and charges were reduced to a misdemeanor of criminal mischief. INSTEAD OF ANIMAL CRUELTY. He agreed to pay vet bills and was given 6 months probation.
While in pursuit of all this mess we filed restraining and protective orders against him. While the "town" was busy at work in their own pursuit holding meetings and changing the town ordinace to limit the number of dogs one could own within city limits.
I did not know at the time I had to have what they call a kennel license, the animal control officer informed me of that. So I went and applied for a Kennel License and was given one. I was also given one the following year. I was however the next year denied my kennel license.(in 2002)
The town, I think relized they could not fight that issue or get me in that manner so they then proceeded to file charges agasint me for --(get this)!-- running a "business" in a zoned single family residential area. HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
A business, oh you bet, I lost $5000.00 last year on my small show/hobby breeding program. Yes I made so much $$ off my "business" that I myself still continue to work to support my "hobby". Since it surely can't and never will support me. There is never money to be made when breeding dogs responsibly, for the sport of showing. Read our story of Thinking of Breeding to see the dollar amounts involved here.
FUNNY though ...my neighbor (the very one who shot my dogs and complained) runs a heating and cooling business out of his home, has since 1996 maybe 94. But has the town went after him???? Why of course not, he's a volunteer for them!!! Well his property line adjoins mine, so I would think he is residential zoned also and should have to follow the same rules.
Well Perry was also recently promoted to Lueitenent on the Fire Dept. and given a position on the Advisory Board for our town.
GOOD GRIEF, why didn't they just hire Hitler or Saddam.!?
AND one of the very councilmen (Chris Stalbaum) who fought for and was in favor of this ordinance also runs a computer business out of his home. He lives in a subdivision not far from me which is also "zoned" residential.
I don't see the "town" running him out any time soon.
Yet they also put up numerous "apartment" complexes behind my home, nearly in my back yard.
I would think that "apartments" are not single family homes.
Which Perry is also the one who sold the developer part of his property to make the entrance for this complex.
None of the other neighbors were in favor of it.
I think he made enough off it to build his new garage and put in his swimming pool. As the garage went up and the pool went in shortly after!
He wasn't looking out for the town then, just for $$$ in his own pocket.
Any who, we hired an attorney and proceeded with action. I did a lot of foot work and searching while this has been in and out of court and postponed to many times to count.
I had found another woman just south of town who raises dogs, goats and has horses on her property. But was told by her that the town attorney said she was grandfathered in.
But they tell me there is no grandfather clause for me.
Another woman just up the road has rabbits she uses for 4-H projects for her kids. A rabbit is fur bearing, why doesn't she have to have a kennel license?
While I'm not here to cause problems for other folks in this town, I just want to be given the same treatment and respect that these people are. But I feel this issue has been over looked simply because the person who shot my babies and got away with it happens to be a volunteer for this town. And he is being given special help or presidence if you will to come after me and take from me the very hobby I love.
I do not tell them how many golf games a week they can play, how many model airplanes they can put together and fly, how many children they can have, or how many coins they may collect.
It is their hobby and what they like to do just as breeding and showing dogs is my hobby and passion.
However, this fiascal has went on now for over 2 years and into quite a bit of money. And quite frankly I'm just fed up with it.
They also tried the tactics of calling Animal Control on me saying "my dogs were neglected and lived in filth and squaller". HOWEVER the animal control officer passed my home with flying colors saying " Roxanne, your dogs live better than most kids I've seen." "I have been to homes where people can not or do not take as good care of one animal as you do yours. I commend you on that!"
And they were called on me more than once, coming to my house unannounced and found nothing what so ever out of place. She just continued to tell me that it was her job and she had to "follow up". Fine by me as I have got nothing to hide. :) She also knew what was going on, as I said earlier I had contacted them to file the complaint on cruelty.
My walls are lined with photographs of my dogs and their ribbons. Which they have won either at puppy matches or dog shows. Some are show photos, some just casual cute shots.
We greatly enjoy the sport of AKC confomation showing events. And our dogs are family members around here, not just a commodity.
I refuse to fight it any longer. It isnt worth the breath I have already wasted. As I do not want to live in a town where "small town" morons want to play "big boy politics" and let their mouth over-ride their butts and do what suits them, instead of what's ethically right!!
They take our money and spend it how they want. Maybe they should have taken that 5000.00 plus and invested it in the water treament plant so the residents of this town can drink the water from thier faucets instead of having to pay extra for bottled water or softners. The water in this town has made many people literally sick.! And isn't even fit for my dogs, they as well get bottled water.
The local newspaper did a couple articles and on the last one I did not comment. The reporter sent me a fax and here was my response.
Mr. Wigett
I am leaving out of town Tuesday morning the 3rd for a dog show in Iowa. (at least the town can't take that from me too) and won't be back til late sometime Friday on the 6th.
I really have no comment to make other then what I said before. It was a witch hunt from the get go, all because a volunteer for the town complained to a buddy/friend of his who happened to be president on the town board. I just don't see how they can change ordinances to suit only one neighbor who complained after he shot my dogs. I have spoke to all my other neigbors and not a one of them had a problem with my dogs. I hate to see what ridiculous rules they will come up with next. Hum maybe limiting the number of human children one can have!!
I only wish for the other residents of this town that they put as much time and effort into correcting the water problems, road conditions and school system. They have wasted over $5000.00 of the taxpayers money in taking me to court. (Yes that is what they were asking for sanctions in attorney fees.) Sad, as that could have been spent on other much needed issues.)
I will say I will be glad and it will be a relief to be out of this town and out from under thier "political" games. A town run this way can only get worse and it's not the kind of town I want to live in anymore.
The only reason I took this agreement was, I had already found wonderful friends to step in and help care for my fur babies til I can move and be reunited with them again. Not to mention I have had it up to my ears with the emotional and mental stress I have been under, as well as the Attorney fees. My time and money are much better suited to finding peace and happieness in a town I can be proud to live in.
Sincerely, Roxanne Collins
If you as an animal lover would like to respond or voice your opinion on this matter please do so. I would love to know others input on this travisty.
If you would like to read the articles they did you can click here ARTICLES
Perry Campolattara is a volunteer fireman for our town. So if you would like to leave comments about him or the injustice that was given after reading this you may go to either of these and email them your thoughts. Hebron, IN
Do you know that Mr Camplatarra was not even reprimanded from his superior on the Fire Dept.!
I can say that we are in the process now of remodeling this house so we can either rent or put it on the market.
The town is also going to loose some revenue. Quite frankly I figured it up and they will be loosing around the sum of 25,000.00 dollars. Yes, that's right I spent that much in this town last year alone. It will be my pleasure to spend it elsewhere!
I am sorry if this story may sound callous to some of you, but I feel very violated by this town, and no longer hold any respect for it or it's residents.
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If you would like to see how our dogs live visit HERE
Although I never thought I would be moving, as I was raised in this home and felt comfortable here. It is now time to move on and put the past behind us.
And after our move you can see our new home HERE
or here Town of Hebron
NO infact he was promoted!!
I thought fireman were to uphold a code of ethics also.
And that is, treating and saving all lives!
Not injuring them!
I sure hope Mr Camplatarra likes his new neighbors . After all this is my house and I can sell/rent to whomever I choose!!!
I will no longer shop in this town for groceries, gas, cigarettes. etc....
I will not donate to the Chamber of Commerce, the Police/Fire Dept
or any other fund raiser this town has held.
It is quite easy to prove, as I have kept most my reciepts for the year. Not to mention when my "dog" friends would come to visit, they also would shop here and eat here.
It is common for us to eat out when we visit each others homes.
We'd appreciate it. Thanks for stopping in.
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