tv star collector
07-23-2009, 02:45 PM
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Lilly, a Chihuahua-terrier mix, is a five-legged dog that was rescued from a futre in a Coney Island
freak show by Allyson Siegel of Charlotte, N.C. The owner of the freak show might sue to get the dog.
By Ely Portillo
The Charlotte Observer
CHARLOTTE--Lilly, the five-legged puppy, may still end up in a New York
freak show if John Strong gets his way.
Strong, who owns a Coney Island exhibit featuring unusual animals, says he'll file a lawsuit today in Charlotte to stake his claim for Lilly. He's retained a local lawyer, he says, but wouldn't name the attorney.
Strong contends he's the rightful owner of Lilly because the pup's original
owner, Calvin Owensby of Gastonia, N.C., broke an implied contract to sell
him the dog.
The two had agreed on a price and Strong paid a $1,000 deposit. But
Owensby decided to sell the pup to a Charlotte woman after media reports
of the freak-show deal sparked an outcry from animal lovers.
"It's like a guy who sells you a car and then later tells you he's going to
sell it to someone else," Strong told the Observer on Wednesday. "I was
the original owner--it doesn't matter if it's a five-legged dog, a house or a
car."
Strong heard about the puppy a few weeks ago and phoned Owensby to
ask his price. He explained that his show contained "amazing animals,
oddities and freaks," he said.
Owensby, an out-of-work electrician from Gastonia, said he'd sell for $3,000.
When Charlotte's Allyson Siegel read about the plan to exhibit the puppy,
she offered $3,000-plus $1,000 to refund Strong's deposit. Owensby agreed.
Lilly's extra leg makes it hard for the 7-week-old puppy to walk, so Siegel
plans to have it removed next week. but Strong says he'll seek an injunction to stop any surgery on the Chihuahua-terrier mix.
Siegel vows to fight: "I just want to throw up," she said. "I want to say
'over my dead body ...'"
Lilly, a Chihuahua-terrier mix, is a five-legged dog that was rescued from a futre in a Coney Island
freak show by Allyson Siegel of Charlotte, N.C. The owner of the freak show might sue to get the dog.
By Ely Portillo
The Charlotte Observer
CHARLOTTE--Lilly, the five-legged puppy, may still end up in a New York
freak show if John Strong gets his way.
Strong, who owns a Coney Island exhibit featuring unusual animals, says he'll file a lawsuit today in Charlotte to stake his claim for Lilly. He's retained a local lawyer, he says, but wouldn't name the attorney.
Strong contends he's the rightful owner of Lilly because the pup's original
owner, Calvin Owensby of Gastonia, N.C., broke an implied contract to sell
him the dog.
The two had agreed on a price and Strong paid a $1,000 deposit. But
Owensby decided to sell the pup to a Charlotte woman after media reports
of the freak-show deal sparked an outcry from animal lovers.
"It's like a guy who sells you a car and then later tells you he's going to
sell it to someone else," Strong told the Observer on Wednesday. "I was
the original owner--it doesn't matter if it's a five-legged dog, a house or a
car."
Strong heard about the puppy a few weeks ago and phoned Owensby to
ask his price. He explained that his show contained "amazing animals,
oddities and freaks," he said.
Owensby, an out-of-work electrician from Gastonia, said he'd sell for $3,000.
When Charlotte's Allyson Siegel read about the plan to exhibit the puppy,
she offered $3,000-plus $1,000 to refund Strong's deposit. Owensby agreed.
Lilly's extra leg makes it hard for the 7-week-old puppy to walk, so Siegel
plans to have it removed next week. but Strong says he'll seek an injunction to stop any surgery on the Chihuahua-terrier mix.
Siegel vows to fight: "I just want to throw up," she said. "I want to say
'over my dead body ...'"