Saturday, February 27, 2010

What to do?

So my last post about Brindi the dog ended on a high note, asking the local dog community to rally around her owner, Francesca Rogier - because she is the only one who can keep Brindi at this point from being killed by HRM's Animal Control and the office of the Crown Prosecutors - who've said from the beginning that it has been their aim to kill Brindi - because that was the reason that they seized her on July 24th, 2008. They have been unwilling to back down from their original claim that they believe that Brindi is a danger to society and must be destroyed.

Since that time Francesca Rogier has made it very difficult for herself because of things she's written on the internet - lashing out at everyone she can think of, making very personal statements about everyone in the local humane community, the Nova Scotia SPCA, the HRM Animal Control Department - saying that people are libelling her, slandering her, and at the same time doing it to the very people that she's accusing.

She has thought that she's been very smart using pseudonymns, fake profiles - but everyone knows that the things are being written only by her - especially a blog called "Nova Scotia Truth or Fiction" - a blog that has some very explosive things written on it. It must be nice to have a blog where you can call yourself "nobody important" and feel you can say whatever you want.

There are a couple of posts on it currently that lay bare Francesca's true feelings that are quite amazing. One is called "The SPCA makes a fabulous discovery: Brindi is a peaceful, non aggressive dog" where she once again goes into the fact that Brindi is her property, that cannot be taken away from her - and that the SPCA has been keeping her in sub-standard conditions for the past 19 months - so they should have no right to have any say in what happens to her now that Francesca has been convicted of her charges and the question of what to do with Brindi has come up.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Kristin Williams wrote a letter suggesting an alternative sentence to euthanasia - and Francesca's response to that is - "The SPCA are NOT animal experts, trainers, or behaviorists, and they are NOT qualified to make such statements."

As I said in my previous post - the workers at the SPCA have known Brindi longer than Francesca has at this point - someone pointed out to me that me saying that has probably REALLY pissed Francesca off - but it's a fact - and the people who work there probably DO know what would be the best kind of home for her. Sorry, Francesca.

In another post that I hear is quite actionable - as in, a person could sue the owner of the blog for - the title is "How bright is Bob Ottenbrite, Mary Wile?" - and I've got to tell you, this post is a doozy!

This post fills in quite a few blanks for people in the dog community who couldn't understand why Bob Ottenbrite was at the verdict on Tuesday - because we all knew that Francesca was probably suing Bob for money that he refused to return to her for agility lessons that she never took from him because Brindi had been seized - we knew there was very severe bad blood between them - to the point that there were emaills circulated by her previously where he had said that he would support Brindi - but he would never support her. And there he was in the courtroom talking to her like as if he was supporting her - so everyone was AGOG.

But this post - explains it all. Very graphically. And I guess Mr. Ottenbrite is not amused. She says in this post -

"Ottenbrite wants to complete the process started by their own staff at Animal Services, namely, a rape in all but name of a single woman who came to Canada to fulfill her dream. Ottenbrite is shamelessly using this woman's misery and her dog's life simply to promote his own business and protect his friends."


So Bob Ottenbrite has raped Francesca Rogier. Nice.

There's lots of other good stuff in the blog post, you should go read it. It is as they say - horrifying, yet at the same time, titillating.

There is one last recent post on that blog I want to give a short comment on - and that is a post about a dog up in New Brunswick that was given a second chance by a judge and returned to her owner. And it is very inappropriately called "Dog bites old lady in NB, gets probation. Are you listening HRM?" First thing - I think it's entirely offensive to call the dog bite victim - and "old lady". That is just plain rude. It shows what she thinks of victims - which is - not much - she obviously likes to minimize suffering.

But there are big differences between her story and the dog owners in New Brunswick - since the dog bite incident - the dog owner has made real and meaningful changes in her and her dog's life - she has ACTUALLY BUILT a 4 foot fence around the perimeter of her property - not built a chicken wire something that resembles a fence around some parts of her property. She has taken her dog to intensive obedience classes.

Side note here - I wonder if she would have petitioned the court to let her have one on one time with Brindi - and an obedience trainer - would she have gotten extra time with her to do obedience classes to make Brindi better in the last however many months? Would that have improved her chances of getting Brindi back instead of her just languishing in her cage? Maybe being proactive like that might have helped her case a bit.

So we have this horrible blog - with all the horrible things that she's saying about everybody - and you'll notice that her "official blog" - has remained empty - no posts at all, isn't that weird?

And then at the same time - she releases what she's calling "Brindi and me: SPCA Secret Tapes" - which is 9 minutes of her and Brindi in the yard at the SPCA last September playing with the ball, and then her and Brindi on the ground and she's petting Brindi, and Brindi obviously is loving being petted by her. It's heart breaking.

While you're watching that video, all you can say to yourself is - that dog needs to go back to that woman - because that dog loves that woman.

Because you have to think - what IS best for the dog - we have to rise above all this bullshit that Francesca has put out on the internet - none of that is real, anyway - what is real is the dog, Brindi - and what is really best for her?

And you look at that video, and you see that that dog loves that woman, and you think - you don't want that dog to be shuffled around anymore - she should go back to Francesca.

But then you think - is THIS an act too? If she gets Brindi back - will she take her home, stick her in a corner and go back to her computer and continue on with all her attacks and lawsuits and Brindi still won't get any attention? Or will she drop all the bullshit and just love Brindi to death like she did in the video.

That's the quandry. And there's no way to know. Which one is real. The video, or the 19 months of internet bullshit.

But luckily - none of us have to make that decision - judge Alanna Murphy will have to make that determination. Thank dog - and I'm certainly glad I'm not her.

ps - to cover my ass - here's something to go to -

20 comments:

  1. Chicken_Wire_Face1:21 PM

    Oh my !! That was the first i've heard about the RAPE!

    I am shocked that Ms. Rogier has not been jailed or put in the hospital to date!

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  2. Anonymous4:15 PM

    I'm glad you posted that Joan. From the time you made your last post I've been hoping that the attacks would stop, but it seems they've escalated.

    I always thought the "Truth blog" was written by someone else, but a google search showed who it was written by and frankly I was shocked. No point writing in the 3rd person.

    When my father-in-law was dying, one of his sisters came to the hospital making excuses as to why his (somewhat estranged) mother did not come to see him and at least hold his hand to comfort him in the end.

    My mother-in-law looked at her as his sister relayed the absurd excuses and said "you know, you can't tell me if that was your child in that bed, you wouldn't crawl across glass to get to him, no matter what he did or said."

    That's what I think when I see the owners outrage. In the year she's blogged and pushed things to the point where visits were forbidden, I would have crawled across glass so to speak. Maybe I would have made a few allies with the SPCA who would have worked on my behalf. I would have held back my outrage and anger at the unfairness until I had my dog back.

    I would have sucked it up. It would have been supremely difficult, but I would have done it for my dog. How high do you want me to jump? See my dog in -24 weather, "no problem, thank you for letting me see her". Can't have the bones I bring "I'm sorry, I didn't know, is there anything the shelter needs or is there something else I could bring her?" My suck up capabilities would have been endless.

    She should ask herself why the dog in NB got probation. It's because the owner immediately took responsibility, called the authorities, was apologetic and took steps to remedy the situation. She did not attack the elderly lady who got bitten, she didn't sugarcoat what happened.

    When you fling mud it gets all over yourself too.

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  3. great catch Joan. She has lied about that too. It was said in facebook that she was the creator but denied it. So thanks.

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  4. Canine Casbah Crew6:50 PM

    Seems that Ms. Rogier is incapable of compliance to the rules set by HRM and has posted these videos of herself with Brindi:

    Interesting that on the side bar to this video it states:

    "September 2009 weekly supervised half-hour restricted visit at the pound with dog on death row that never harmed a human or seriously injured a dog.

    Filmed on peril of the SPCA and Halifax stopping all visits because they forbade any photos or films of Francesca Rogier's own property." and yet again Brindi is referred to as PROPERTY."

    My big question why would she post these video's and vitriolic rants prior to sentencing and a chance for resolution?? Why would she slag Bob Ottenbrite a person who has offered to help Brindi.It makes no logical sense, she is proving she is unwilling to comply with orders set down by a Judge if Brindi were to be allowed to be ‘homed’ by Bob Ottenbrite? Suffice to say Mr. Ottenbrite is more than furious and it will be Brindi's loose that he is not willing to be subjected to her vilification.

    I can only PRAY with all my heart that Brindi is TRUELY FREED and rehomed in a proper loving environment and the HRM Legal Dept sees that JUSTICE will be served if she is released from the TRYANNY of Francesca's machinations.

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  5. I wondered who was behind the Nova Scotia Truth blog. Now I know. Great info as usual Joan.

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  6. Long had my suspicions about the "Truth blog"- thanks for finding the proof to confirm, Joan!

    Unbelievable that while Brindi's situation seems more urgent than ever, Francesca is releasing "secret SPCA tapes". What a huge risk for so little reward.

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  7. Anonymous12:35 AM

    The style, the relentless distortion--we were pretty sure of the source, but thank you Joan for showing it to us--in living color.

    Must have gotten confusing moving that post over from Free Brindi (now indeed abandoned)to Nova Scotia Fiction. Then "we" thanked the commenter on FB for that post. Is that the Royal We, the editorial we, or the just-confused-there-are-so-many-of-us we?

    I read the post accusing Mr. Otterbrite of rape in all but name and, even at this late date, am still capable of being shocked. (And now we don’t just think it was Rogier herself who wrote it; we have proof.) Drama queen we’re used to. The agony, animal noises & unrecognizable cries. But I know someone who was raped, robbed and raped, and not just in ‘all but name.’ Twenty years later she still wakes at night! Shame, Ms. Rogier, for trivializing a devastating crime against a woman to use it ‘figuratively’ in your endless self-aggrandizement! Rogier has stepped so far over the line this time as to have earned the ‘has she finally no decency?’ category reserved for the late liar Joe McCarthy. She feels judgment-proof because she’s broke. But you can get a lien on property. Mr. Otterbrite shouldn’t permit himself to be dragged into Small Claims Court--familiar territory for Rogier who was taken there herself--without bringing an action for a charge that truly defames him and harms his reputation and livelihood. There must be some limit to what a person can write against citizens of NS! Yet she apparently expects a venomous phone-in campaign from US supporters (who “know how to be rude” one assured her) to force the Mayor (on his own authority? what about the court?) to buckle & say “Sure, fine, take your dog home but do try to be more careful. Please. OK, now?”

    Somewhere it’s time to say enough.

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  8. I was wondering to myself for quite some time why a person who claims to love her dog above anything else continues to boycott visitation rights and possible release? And methinks that maybe what Francesca wants is the image of long walks at the beach and going socializing with her canine companion, and have fun at dog sports, and having protection at the same time - the stuff we all want. Except, with Brindi, provided she will get her back, he Lassie-Disney life with a dog wouldn't manifest cause there'd be so many restrictions - no off leash, muzzle order, part of her neighborhood suspiciously watching her dog instead of socializing. Maybe Francesca doesn't really want Brindi back as a real dog, on some deep level, but simply the idea of Brindi, something dreamily elusive.
    I do hope that Brindi lives, and with someone who has time to create a bond and give her permanent belonging to a social group. I'd hate to see her moved from one run to another. And I am not saying that it couldn't be Bob Ottenbrite. Just saying that I wouldn't take Brindi cause I do not have the time.

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  9. Anonymous11:17 AM

    What to do, indeed.

    There are a myriad of disturbing, yet revealing, comments in that irresponsible blog entry (which as you prove, Joan - and can be easily authenticated by other measures -o riginates with Rogier).

    Along with the inflammatory charge of “rape", see this nugget buried in the 2AM rant:

    “In this regard, we/I feel Ottenbrite is partly responsible for Brindi and let down her owner.”


    Huh? Come again? Blame someone else for the owner not following local dog control regulations?

    Being quick to blame keeps Rogier from taking responsibility and ultimately finding a productive, and humane, solution, for the poor animal.

    The dog was seized because the owner broke local law; neighbouring dogs attacked; etc. It only takes a 5 minute Google search to see what an inflammatory and assaultive campaign this person has lodged. Save the dog from Euthanasia, but don't attack others, tear down professional reputations, defame non-profit institutions, target communities, find dirt on people, make troubling threats, hateful accusations, or blame others while doing it.

    More than "opinion" as Rogier charges all over the internet to those who dare to question her, this woman's culpability in this dog's situation is an observable, provable fact, of which a judge (after months & months of the poor animal being caged) has confirmed.

    May the sentencing in the upcoming week settle on some middle ground after all this time. Spare the poor dog any more suffering, send it to somebody else, and let’s pray the parties involved can regain balance.

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  10. Anonymous12:49 PM

    Ms. Jay's last comment about the author of "Nova Scotia Truth is a Stranger to this Fiction Writer" blog was thought-provoking. She wants the idealized long walks on the beach (with Brindi running along ahead of her...not leashed and muzzled) Tossing her a ball as she did in that film clip she taped against the rules she had signed to be allowed SPCA visits. Brindi cannot leave that tiny house without a (real) muzzle. And, in case the judge were foolishly inclined to take her word for anything and release Brindi back to her--that video taken in spite of her WRITTEN promise to take NO pictures should be a very sobering reminder of just exactly what the word of Ms. Rogier means. She'll sign anything, say anything, write anything to get what she wants. Her 9 minute video shows how much her word means.

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  11. Oh dear Joan. I thought she was a "loon". Now I know. Thanks for this very informative Blog.

    Some people shouldn't have dogs.

    She's a loose cannon.

    She's not going to be happy that you "outed" her.

    But thanks for doing it.

    Sybil

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  12. nobody important at Nova Scotia Truth is Stranger than Fiction8:52 PM

    We hope nobody important might be listened to on these things.
    We are Nobody Important. We are a small group of people who blog under Nova Scotia Truth. We prefer our names to be kept private to avoid the kind of attacks that go on.
    To help Francesca however we have sometimes needed the passwords to various things, like blogs. One of us may have inadvertently linked to the blog catalogue in the wrong way; it was very problematic to do. It turned out wrong and we are deeply sorry. We realize you will not want believe "nobody important", but we are heartsick to see what is being said now. Francesca is simply trying to get her dog back and will do anything to keep her safe from harm or causing harm for the rest of her life.

    Since a dog trainer is no expert on human behavior, is it really proper for a trainer to make speculations in public about the psychology of a dog owner? When it comes to people, Ms. Jay was convinced at one point that Brindi's Angels might come and get her and do her physical harm. Knowing the meek nature of the personnel involved, we can't help but wonder about her judgment and so should others.

    Regardless of whether anybody believes this, we stand by everything in the posts and continue to maintain that this is injustice and the owner must be restored her rightful property.
    Anyone may judge from the outside, but they do not know the truth from the inside out.

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  13. To the ANONYMOUS Commenter above - you have GOT TO BE kidding me. As if amybody would believe that kind of bullshit. Please give me a BREAK.

    I don't know the last time that I have seen such arrogrance.

    Joan

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  14. Anonymous9:24 PM

    I am never afraid to sign my posts. I believe I have said this before but my personal dealings with Francesca were very unpleasant. She phoned my home at 11PM last year and demanded an interview with me and was rude and aggressive and I pretty much told her to go pound sand. Later at an SPCA press conference for which I had a media pass, there was a woman bringing up irrelevant issues and badgering the board of directors to the point I stood up and pretty much corrected her and shut her down because I found it so annoying. Later I found out this was Francesca posing as a reporter. She was asking questions that were not very cleverly disguised as a way to ask questions about Brindi's case. She was misinformed and belligerent. So I have formed an opinion based on these dealings that there is something not quite right with Francesca. Many others who support her have never met her and yet practically canonize her. Makes no sense to me.

    And so any of you who wonder know... I have known Bob Ottenbrite for 10 years. He is one of the kindest, most compassionate, intelligent, fair, friends to rescue I've ever known. He was first my dog trainer, and then a friend. He is a person worth of respect and spends his life helping others.

    There is something wrong with someone who would pick on someone like that.

    True colours all around. And very sad that Brindi might die because of a potentially mentally ill person.

    And again isn't it nice that another mentally ill person placed this dog.

    Go ahead egg my house. I do not suffer fools.

    Angela Granchelli

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  15. What, what, what, Nobody Important!
    When did I say the I am convinced that Brindi's Angels might come, get her and do her physical harm?
    And, how much to you exactly know about my professional background?
    I know that much about human behavior, though! Anybody writing under a disguise is a coward.

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  16. Anonymous8:34 PM

    "We realize you will not want believe "nobody important", "

    You got that right. Face it, you have been outted as usual.

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  17. You may want to leave comments on the latest blog post at http://freebrindi.blogspot.com/ where Francesca has said that her friends "were most surprised about the verdict on the charge of "owning a dog that attacks", as it had been established in court that there was no evidence for it" - meaning that she has once again decided to not take any ownership of the fact that Brindi ever attacked another dog.

    One thing that she's said that is the truth is that a lot of blogs are mounting an attack on Halifax and Nova Scotia - a massive internet campaign - directed at contacting Municipal councillors and the Mayor to try and intervene on Brindi's behalf again, and the blogs are once again blathering on with the usual inaccurate trash that Francesca and her minions (aka "Angels") have been putting out for the last year - see http://djmutts.wordpress.com/2010/03/01/petition-overview-letter-free-brindi-this-dog-must-not-be-euthanized/#respond and http://blog.myletsadopt.com/2010/03/01/day-5-the-reason-for-brindis-countdown/

    I've left comments - but for some reason, they haven't been published - I have no idea why they won't publish my comments :)

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  18. Anonymous9:21 PM

    I have posted comments on several of Fran's blogs and like you I can't understand why they wern't published.
    It is hard to stay on top of the many blogs that she has,to say nothing of the demand she is making to her,"followers" to tie up the mayors office with letters,phone calls etc. I would suspect that it can and very well may have the opposite results that she demands.

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  19. Anonymous1:00 PM

    Frankly, I HOPE it would have the opposite effect! The taxpayers of HRM don't pay the mayor's secretary to take abuse from what has become a worldwide phone bank of people who know nothing of the case, and most of whom couldn't find Nova Scotia on a map! One zealot on Save Brindi wrote that when she phoned and mentioned Brindi's name, "the bitch" hung up. But she was going to call again. So are all the others. I say "Good for the Mayor's secretary!!!" She deserves a medal for not calling in sick until Rogier is finally silenced (if that is even possible!) If that makes her a bitch--well, she should wear that slur from a know-nothing-nut from God knows where with PRIDE.

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  20. Francesca is still up to her old tricks, now trying to capitalize on the death of Rehtaeh Parsons, using the dead child's name to garner support for her saga to get Brindi back

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