I’m not naive enough to believe every claim made by man; we’re foulable as fuck. I guess that’s why, at first, it was easy to believe all that’s gone wrong with McMinnville’s notorious part-dog, part-wolf saga that has stretched on for more than three months.

Since her wolf dogs got out and killed three neighborhood pets in early March, Sandra Atwood, the wolf dogs’ owner, has maintained a few things.

1. The police are lying.
2. The City of McMinnville has held back information that could aid in her defense
3. This whole thing with her wolf dogs, the neighbors, the city, and the police is one conspiracy

At first, I saw no conspiracy or lies and I’m still not sure what to make of it all. (I do not believe the owner of Mac’s Wolf Dog pack is innocent.) **However**, I do see a heavy-handed city government trying its best to litigate away a problem they themselves caused by not having the right tools (not codes) in place to deal with this type of animal nuisance.

Further, when the Mac Wolf Pack leader finally had their day in court, the city’s court and officials seemingly did not give the accused a chance at a court-appointed attorney. Something all Oregonians should get if they are accused of a certain level of crime.

And according to Oregon DOJ’s website online and other court documents that I’ve been able to review, the city court did indeed charge her with a crime considered a misdemeanor; The sort of charge that should allow someone a court-appointed attorney if they cannot afford one themselves. Atwood maintains that the city never considered letting her have a court-appointed attorney because she was never charged with a misdemeanor.

Documents in this case from the City Of McMinnville’s Office of the City Prosecutor lists 22 violations, but strikingly no misdemeanors, on court papers dating back to April 25th. But, according to the Oregon DOJ’s website, her misdemeanor charge was active as of March 13th, the day of the wolf dogs impoundment.

How did the city overlook this issue? There’s a huge difference between a violation, which results in a fine, and a misdemeanor, which could result in jail time. So… Did the city knowingly drop a charge because they knew they didn’t hold the cards for a win in the courtroom? Did the city drop the charge because the possible cost to hire an attorney to defend Ms Atwood would have been paid for by the city/taxpayer? What other explanations are there for the city’s behavior? Just bad paperwork skills? And is this going to impact those who lost loved pet’s ability to seek justice?

These are questions I intend to ask city officials, city police, and the city’s court. Until then, maybe consider this: when someone is howling for all to hear, maybe they’re not being annoying; maybe they’re howling for an equal opportunity at justice.

-Andrew Brunello