Freak show owner awarded $4,000 for loss of five legged puppy
A TV judge in Chicago has ruled that the animal freak show operator should be given $4,000 when he lost out on a five legged puppy.
Last month, we featured the heart-warming story of how the five legged Chihuahua-terrier puppy had an operation to become the four legged dog she was meant to be.
The original dog breeder, Calvin Owensby, had agreed to sell the five legged puppy originally called Precious to a freak show operator called John Strong.
Strong paid a deposit of $1,000 and promised another $2,000 when the dog arrived at the show in New York.
In her show this week, TV Judge Jeanine Pirro ruled that Strong should receive the money that the dog’s new owner paid to the dog breeder.
Owensby claimed he changed his mind once he had checked Strong out on the Internet. The tearful dog breeder told the judge:
“I didn’t know it was a freak show. He said it was an amazing animal show.”
Following attention from the media, the dog breeder claimed he received threats on the phone, including one from a man in New York saying he must be a freak to sell his dog to a freak show.
Strong owns a mixture of 27 strange animals, including a six legged cow, an eight legged pig and a two headed turtle.
Owensby claimed he was so upset and spooked that when he was offered $4,000 from Allyson Siegel to stop him selling to Strong and she promised to get the extra limb removed by operation, he accepted and immediately gave Strong his $1,000 deposit back.
As our previous article reported, Siegal renamed Precious to Lilly and the operation was successful.
Strong sued for breach of contract and claimed he was entitled to the dog or the money that the dog breeder received for her.
The judget agreed. She said:
“We’ve got a contract, and the defendant broke it, pure and simple.”
Owensby countersued for intentional infliction of emotional distress, but Pirro ruled that although he had been stressed, it was not Strong’s fault.
The show is due to air on 8th September; Strong says he is thrilled with the judge’s decision and once the show has aired he intends to sue Siegel to reclaim the dog, even though she’s had the operation. He said:
“I certainly am not chasing four-legged dogs around the world. Because of the cuteness of the dog … I would still like to have the dog.”
So, he doesn’t just want the dog because reportedly his business has already increased by 60 percent thanks to the story hitting the headlines?
Lilly is reportedly doing well following her operation and Siegel has told a local TV station that she hopes the dog will live a normal life; they just want to be left alone.
