Q: How can we help a dog who has been in a shelter for the past 4 months because his owner was arrested for beating him?

A: Unfortunately, no. Hopefully the judge will order forfeiture and you can the adopt the dog. Until then, there is not much yoh can do except arrange visits with the dog or volunteer to take him on walks, but that will depend on the shelter how much they’ll let you do. If you witnessed any of this abuse, you could testify to it in court. Typically misdemeanors have to be tried within 6 months of the date of the offense, so this defendant’s time is running out of it has already been 6 months. Most likely the court will force him to plead to something or go to trial soon.

A: This depends on whether the owner was charged under the state cruelty law or a local ordinance. Under the state law, the owner has to pay for the cost of care of the dog every month or he forfeits ownership. If it's a local ordinance it would depend on what the impound law says, but usually the owner has to pay restitution if found guilty. Most shelters will not let court held dogs be touched or exercised by anyone, let alone a volunteer for liability reasons, but it would depend on the management's policies. A criminal defendant is presumed innocent and if he does opt to go to trial, the abuse charges would have to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The case does not have to be tried in six months if the defendant keeps waiving his right to speedy trial. I've had dangerous dog cases go for up to close to a year with an impounded animal, it just depends on what the defendant wants.