A woman from Brooklyn is facing the loss of her two dogs after an incident last year where she brought them to Long Beach and collapsed in the sand.
Debra Connolly expressed her outrage towards the judge who ruled that she could not adequately care for her pets, Mary Alice and Henry, likening him and her previous dog walker, who is now looking after the dogs, to “Satan.”
“The judge was biased against me, I believe, because he’s Jewish and I’m Catholic,” Connolly told The Post in a phone interview — still fuming after losing her battle to get the canines back.
“I’m out of work and I live on social security disability,” said Connolly, who lives in supportive housing on the Upper West Side. “All I do is pace, drink water and go to Dunkin Donuts all day. This is very hard — I’m devastated.”
Connolly, 60, alleged in her initial court filing that her previous pet sitter was attempting to coerce her regarding the ownership of the two dogs, one of which suffers from significant medical issues, including advancing blindness.
The judge, seemingly the borough’s authority on canine matters, evaluated the lifestyles of the two dogs alongside their contentious owners and decided against returning the dogs, deeming Connolly’s capacity to provide proper care as “questionable.”
The two dogs involved in the situation are Henry, a 5-year-old Chihuahua, and Mary Alice, a 12-year-old tan puggle, who faces eye problems and spine issues due to her past with abusive owners.
The heated discussion started last October when Connolly brought her dogs to Long Beach, where she spent the night on the sand during her journey to her sister’s home in Rockville Center, according to her.
Upon waking, Connolly realized that both her pocketbook and Henry were gone.
Animal control in Long Beach successfully retrieved the dog and returned him to the individual identified on his microchip — a professional caretaker who had collaborated with Connolly for the past four years to oversee her dogs.
The caretaker seemingly took care of the dogs while their owner was often hospitalized — one stay lasting an astonishing 56 days.
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Subsequently, Connolly recounts how the Long Beach police “yanked Mary Alice from my embrace,” and then handed her over to the dog walker.
Brooklyn’s Venessa Nina, a dog walker and caretaker, has declined to return the dogs, asserting her ownership claim. She contends that returning them to Connolly could expose her to prosecution for animal abuse due to the owner’s failure to properly care for the animals.
Connolly initiated a self-represented lawsuit last spring, contending that as the rightful owner — having adopted them five years prior, the dogs ought to be returned to her custody.
Nina recounted in one of the three hearings conducted during the summer that at Connolly’s previous Brooklyn residence, she “witnessed unsanitary conditions with the floor strewn with blankets soaked in urine and feces,” adding that when she took custody of the dogs last October, they required two baths to be cleaned up.
She pointed out that Connelly’s frequent hospital visits have led to significant worries regarding her capacity to look after the animals.
Connolly expressed her intention to file a pro-se appeal, citing her inability to afford legal representation, and remains determined to advocate for her dogs.