Obie the Dog
Posted on March 26, 2013
Lindsay Hart secures a favorable outcome for Nora Vanatta and Obie the Dog
Photo credit Kai Hayashi
In October of 2012, Lindsay Hart attorney, James McCurdy, took on an animal ownership case involving a 77-pound, rescued Dachshund named Obie. Obie’s original owners- suffering from poor health themselves- loved Obie with food but gave him up once they realized his obesity could kill him. In August 2012, Nora Vanatta, an experienced veterinary technician, responded to a plea for help and undertook the care of Obie. Since then, she has been successfully facilitating his rehabilitation and put together a program leading to his extraordinary weight loss.
On October 23, 2012, after Obie had lost approximately 15 pounds and gained considerable media attention for his efforts, Oregon Dachshund Rescue sued Nora for custody of Obie. Nora approached James McCurdy after learning of his success in another pet ownership case earlier that year. Under Oregon law, pets are considered personal property, and must be transferred accordingly.
James took Nora’s case. In January 2013, James assisted by Lindsay Hart attorney, Katie Eichner, secured an outcome which allowed Nora to claim permanent ownership of Obie.
Obie is now down to 40 pounds and scheduled for a skin reduction surgery in the next couple of months.
We are thrilled to have helped Nora and Obie and wish them all the best in Obie’s continuing rehabilitation efforts!
For more information about James McCurdy, please visit his attorney page. To contact James directly, call 503.226.7677 or email jmccurdy@lindsayhart.com.
Obie in August of 2012 when he was first rescued by our client, Nora Vanatta.
Obie pictured in March 2013 after nearly 37 pounds of weight loss.
Updates regarding Obie and his weight loss can be found on his Facebook page (maintained by Nora Vanatta.)