ARLINGTON — The owner of Blaze the dog threatened to fight back if the city attempts to charge him with violating recently passed animal care and control laws.
On Nov. 2, Kari Ilonummi presented the Arlington City Council and various city staff with copies of a handwritten note from Dr. Tim Cavanagh, director of All Creatures Veterinary Services in Arlington.
The letter, dated Oct. 27, explained that Cavanagh had cleared up Blaze’s infection, but is still treating him for Sarcoptic Mange, a disease that’s highly contagious between dogs, and caused by mites burrowing into the skin, causing the animal’s hair to fall out and creating a persistent itch.
As such, Cavanagh insisted that Blaze “temporarily needs his collar to prevent self-mutilation” until his skin condition clears.
When asked how long that might be, Cavanagh declined to offer specifics, but did note that he would be rechecking Blaze in about three weeks.
“Obviously, the end game is to get the collar off him,” Cavanagh said. “This case has gone on a long time, but chronic disease can take a long time to clear up. Believe me, I’m as frustrated as anybody right now.”
In the event that Cavanagh is unable to resolve the matter, he said he’d probably refer Blaze to a dermatologist.
In the meantime, Ilonummi claimed to have received a visit from Officer Val Copeland two weeks prior, ordering him to remove Blaze’s protective collar.
“I took that cone off, we stood back about ten feet, and he went to town on himself like a steak,” Ilonummi said, adding that Copeland ultimately instructed him to place the cone back on Blaze. “She told me to break the law, so if I receive a ticket for this, I’m taking it to trial.”
In a statement that was called out twice for going beyond the two minutes allotted for members of the public to address the council, Ilonummi claimed the city would look “very foolish” for adopting tighter restrictions on the tethering of animals in September, a move that he derided as “appeasing the masses” without considering the consequences.
“I’ve tried to alleviate this situation, but I’m prepared to fight,” Ilonummi said.
