Dog on the run
A judge orders a pit bull to be put down, but first she must be found.
By DAVID SCHOETZ
Staff Writer
Zippy the pit bull is on the lam, allegedly bouncing from safe havens in Florida, Rhode Island, New York and Maine.
Meanwhile, the dog's owner, Austin Zipp, who has Cape Cod ties but no permanent address, was back at Barnstable County District Court Thursday facing a contempt hearing requested by the town of Sandwich.
H. Gregory Williams, the presiding judge, has been involved in the saga since the fall and three weeks ago ordered Zippy to be destroyed because of what he called the dog's violent history and the owner's repeated irresponsibility.
Since Zipp failed to produce the pooch at that point, the town filed the contempt request.
The 30-pound, 5-year-old chocolate-colored femalepit bull has been both victim and aggressor in violent incidents and animal-control officers agree that the owner, Austin Zipp, is to blame.
While Thursday's hearing was closed, Timothy Houlihan, Sandwich's animal-control officer, testified for the town and said that Judge Williams gave Zipp 30 days to deliver the dog to the Sandwich or Middleboro police as well as a $25 fine.
If Zipp fails to comply with the order, Houlihan said, the man could face up to 60 days in jail.
"It's not like he can say, 'The dog is somewhere else,' " Houlihan said, "That doesn't fly."
First attack in May
The dog's downturn began last May in Middleboro, where an unleashed Zippy attacked William Wyatt, the town animal-control officer, outside Zipp's used car dealership.
The 31-year animal-control veteran, permanently scarred in the incident, recommended the dog be destroyed and town selectmen agreed.
But Zipp appealed and in the months leading up to his court date, Wyatt cared for the animal. Twice, Zippy was stolen from the Middleboro pound, allegedly for use in a pit bull fighting ring.
After one of the dognappings, officers discovered Zippy, who likely fought off or frustrated her assailants, chained to a tree and terrified in a Middleboro forest.
When Zipp's court date finally did arrive, Williams granted the dog conditional leniency. Zipp said he would register Zippy at an East Providence, R.I., address and enroll the dog in obedience classes.
But after a pit-bull attack on a 70-year-old woman at Scusset Beach this fall, Houlihan's investigation led to Zippy and Zipp, who had previously lived in Sandwich and had been the subject of past animal complaints involving unruly dogs.
Houlihan sniffed out a bogus Rhode Island address provided by Zipp and pieced together the Middleboro connections. And when the case returned to court in March, a frustrated Williams ordered the dog to be put down.
That's when Zippy hit the road.
Zippy likely still on Cape
According to Houlihan, Zipp, appearing in court with his lawyer Thursday, said the dog is currently with his girlfriend Christy Harrington's father, John. That man, who is registered to an address on Head of the Bay Road in Bourne, has allegedly been traveling up and down the east coast.
While there's no such thing as canine extradition, Houlihan said he's been working with animal-control officers from Plymouth east, and they believe Zippy is likely still on the Cape.
Houlihan also employed enforcement officers from the Animal Rescue League to go to Zipp's current workplace in Plymouth on Wednesday to serve the hearing notice.
Zipp did not respond to a message left on his cell phone and no one answered at Harrington's residence.
The dog has a microchip implanted in his neck by animal control officers which will confirm for authorities the dog's identity. Any information regarding Zippy's whereabouts can be reported to the Sandwich or Middleboro police.
With all the energy logged and tax dollars spent on this ongoing case, Houlihan, who thinks the dog could likely attack again, said he will remain committed to resolving a situation that rests squarely on Zipp's shoulders.
"It's not the breed, it's not the particular dog, it's the owner," Houlihan said. "He's had his opportunities and he's chosen his path."
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