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Last Updated on March 4 , 2025 by
On a dusty November daylight in 2024 , Dr. Amanda Hergenreder , a veterinary surgeon from Millington , Michigan , was in Grand Rapids for a professional conference when she encountered a conniption that excite her instincts . Outside a Biggby burnt umber workshop , a 16 - year - sometime pit bull mix was tethered to a truck , appearing lifeless .
“ No Energy Department , very lethargic , ” she later told WOOD - TV . think the wiener was in distraint , she acted fleetly — contact local police and an animal tax shelter before cut the Mexican valium and driving the hotdog two hours to her clinic . There , she vest $ 3,000 in medical care , treating a severe urinary tract contagion and removing a stinking tooth . Nearly four months later , the hot dog she named Biggby is thriving , with “ the visible light make out back in his eye , ” she said .
But for Chris Hamilton , a 57 - year - old Grand Rapids occupier live homelessness , that hot dog — acknowledge to him as Vinny — isn’t just a favorite ; he ’s menage . Hamilton had left Vinny tied to the truck for about 45 minutes while running an errand to a nearby accelerator station . When he returned , coffee shop class employees save shell intelligence : a woman in a van had taken his Canis familiaris .
“ I just want my wienerwurst back , ” Hamilton say , his part breakage . “ I had my dog 15 years . Never neglected him and , you sleep with , we love each other . I mean , I felt like I lose part of my dead body after that . ”
Dr. Hergenreder ’s refusal to turn back the dog has escalated the post into a effectual battle . Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker has charged her with violation stealing , a crime penal by up to 93 days in jail . “ You do n’t have a right to just take something because you feel something ’s wrong , ” Becker told The Associated Press . “ hoi polloi have a very big adherence to their animals . No matter where you are in life , this is something that ’s important to an individual . ”
Hergenreder ’s attorney , Miles Greengard , defends her actions as a moral imperative . He argue that Hamilton ’s failure to certify the andiron or address its aesculapian penury weakens his call to ownership . “ Mr. Hamilton did n’t even take such introductory step as licensing the dog , ” Greengard said . “ Now he expect a benevolent doctor to give Biggby the medical intervention he ’s been denied and needs moving forward , and then give the dog back ? ” Greengard insist that come back Biggby to Hamilton could jeopardize the dog ’s health , framing Hergenreder as a guardian , not a stealer .
The Legal and Ethical Crossroads
With jury choice slate for March 6 , 2025 , the case hinge on a key question : Does an animal ’s well-being trump an proprietor ’s rights ? Michigan jurisprudence treat darling as property , making Hergenreder ’s actions theft in the prosecuting attorney ’s eyes .
Yet her veterinary expertise — and the oath to prioritise animal well - being — perplex the tale . Hamilton ’s 15 - year bond with Vinny is a brawny counterweight , his emotional supplication resonating with anyone who ’s hump a pet . Could he , with assistance , manage for Vinny ’s needs , or is Hergenreder ’s intercession the only life line for an aging dog ?
A Tale of Two Perspectives
A Community Split
The incident has divided Grand Rapids . Animal benefit proponent hail Hergenreder as a grinder , while favourite owner endure by Hamilton , fiercely guarding the sanctitude of their bonds . Local shelters have proposed solution — like veterinary support for Hamilton if he retrieve custody — but no arrangement has rise up . As the trial predominate , the court will decide not just Hergenreder ’s destiny but also put a precedent for similar difference .
What’s Next?
For now , Biggby remains with Hergenreder , his health meliorate daily . Hamilton , meanwhile , holds onto hope , determined to reunify with Vinny . The jury ’s verdict will determine whether this was a thievery or a rescue — and where the line lie between pity and ownership .
Source : US.News
