Bosco is the New Hampshire lab who bit the hand of a police officer who clumsily tried to pick him up and shove him into his patrol car, because Bosco was running loose on the street. The bite was simply a warning to a stranger whom Bosco did not know or trust.
Still... it was enough to put Bosco on the wrong side of the powerful police chief of Pelham, NH. The chief will settle for nothing less than the blood of Bosco. He wants him dead.
At Bosco's hearing, Tuesday, April 12, the trial was postponed again. However, the prosecutor said that Bosco had been moved again because of some "aggressive moves". Bosco is still at an undisclosed location with no outside organization or agency to supervise his care or guarantee his ethical treatment.
Immediately after the bite incident with the officer, Bosco was confined to the animal shelter operated by the Pelham police and a local rescue group. While in the slammer, Bosco was befriended by a local rescuer, who gave Bosco some love and attention while incarcerated. This volunteer's only sin was to love Bosco and give him much-needed human contact and kindness. The volunteer was summarily kicked out of the rescue group and allegedly told by Pelham's finest never to return to the shelter!
And then Bosco was removed to an undisclosed location and denied any visits by anyone who cared about him.
Charles Manson... Jeffrey Dahmer... Ted Bundy were allowed visits from those who loved them, and their care during incarceration was open to public scrutiny.
Does Bosco not deserve at least the same level of protection?
My worry is that the Pelham police might be baiting Bosco to behave aggressively, since he is kept in a secret dungeon of the chief's devising, with no one to look after Bosco's interests and insure his proper treatment. They can then use this manufactured "evidence" against Bosco.
I know. You are saying that I sound paranoid.
But keep this in mind: you are only paranoid if you imagine someone is trying to hurt you. If someone really is trying to harm you, you are not paranoid -- just perceptive!
Bosco should NOT be "cared for" by his tormentors, but by a disinterested third party boarding facility. Anything less is not just unfair, but invites abuse of power.
I am asking some of my friends in rescue to bring Bosco's deplorable situation to the attention of PETA and other national organizations devoted to the ethical treatment of animals.
You learn a lot about a man's character by the way he treats those with less power and influence than himself. Chief Roark's behavior toward Bosco, a dog with no inherent constitutional rights, is a cautionary tale for the residents of Pelham. Keeping Bosco in secret, hidden locations, separated from those who love him and the prying eyes of journalists or animal activists who would watch out for Bosco's interests tells you where your chief is coming from, so to speak.
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