2 small dogs at center of Orange County HOA lawsuit

Article and Video Courtesy of Channel 9 News

By George Estevez

Published June 25, 2015

Watch VIDEO

 

Two puppies are at the center of a lawsuit filed by an Orange County homeowners association.

The two dogs, a 10-pound Maltese named Shotsy and 19-pound Maltese named Miley Cirus, are accused of being aggressive, and their owner, Emily Straight, is accused of violating the HOA's neighborhood rules.

  

The controversy started when the puppies were in the front yard with their owner and noticed another neighbor walking her dog. That's when the puppies went over to that dog, and the neighbor became visibly angry.

Straight, 68, said she considers her dogs family.

"I am a widow. My puppies mean everything to me. I cannot live without my puppies," she said.

 

But an eight-page lawsuit filed on behalf of the Bella Note at Vizcaya Home Owners Association claims the dogs have broken their rules by being a nuisance.


"A new neighbor was walking her dog. My dogs were with me in the front yard. I was getting the mail, and they saw that dog, and they ran off to the dogs," said Straight.

Straight claims nothing happened, but she later received a notice from the HOA saying her dogs were aggressive. Soon after, she was slapped with a lawsuit.

"On the face of it, this should have been a dispute between neighbors, but they brought it in a court of law," said attorney Jeremy Thackurdin.

Lawyers representing the HOA have not returned Channel 9's calls.

If Straight loses the lawsuit, she could be forced to pay thousands of dollars and possibly lose her puppies.

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