Joanne and Brutus – An Insurance Scam Gone Wrong
Brutus was almost 16 years old when Animal Control took him away and killed him. He was going blind and deaf and was a wonderful old little fella. He loved his Mommy Joanne and could even detect when she was about to have a seizure or when her vertigo was kicking in. Brutus also saved Joanne from a raccoon and a bear. Brutus came to Joanne when he was two and a half weeks old.
This is Brutus’ story as told to me by Joanne herself.
Joanne had her prescriptions delivered to her home by the local pharmacy. Joanne knew the lady who delivered her prescriptions and her family for 40 years.
Two days before Brutus was taken away and killed, this particular woman and her husband came to Joanne’s house and were looking over a couple of cars her husband was busy restoring. The husband said to Joanne’s husband “I want one of your cars” and Joanne’s husband laughed, and then was told he was going to get one somehow. Then the couple started asking Joanne and her husband questions about her dog, as BSL had just come into law. The questions were very strange and Joanne was worried they were up to something. She asked they never come onto her property again.
Two days later, Joanne was home with some people and Brutus was playing with Joanne’s 1 year old granddaughter. This woman walked right into Joanne’s house and started shaking a prescription bag. Joanne used to play a game with Brutus with a bag and Brutus would jump for it. The woman knew this and Brutus jumped like he always did because it was a favourite game of his and the woman then ran screaming out the door saying Brutus bit her. The paramedics arrived and said the woman hadn’t been bitten by a dog, as there wasn’t a puncture. It was obvious this woman was scamming. Sure enough, when her husband showed up, he said “I told you I would get that car”. He then said “The dog or the car”. Joanne kicked him off her property.
Joanne was contacted by Animal Control and told Brutus must come to Toronto Animal Services with her. When Joanne got there with Brutus, she was told to sign a paper. Joanne was still in shock over the incident and didn’t read the paper; just signed it and they took Brutus from her. That was the last time she was ever to see Brutus again.
The Board of Health and the police showed up at her house the next day and told her the dog should not have been taken away, so Joanne called a judge she knew for help. Every day Joanne and her family would visit TAS to see Brutus, but they were told they weren’t allowed to. She was told Brutus started having seizures, and still she wasn’t allowed to see him or comfort him. On the seventh day, Joanne finally got an order saying she could take him home and she went to TAS to pick him up. TAS told her Brutus had died two days ago. The woman at TAS actually laughed while she told Joanne that. Joanne asked why and was told that since BSL came into law, it was standard practice to kill pit bulls.
When Joanne picked up Brutus’ ashes, she was told ten pit bulls had been cremated that day and the remains of all ten of those dogs were in with Brutus’ ashes.
This woman who claimed she was bitten by Brutus had apparently been “bitten” by seven dogs and her husband by four or five. She got nothing out of Joanne’s insurance company and in fact she admitted in court last year that she lied about Brutus biting her.
This is Brutus’ story as told to me by Joanne herself.
Joanne had her prescriptions delivered to her home by the local pharmacy. Joanne knew the lady who delivered her prescriptions and her family for 40 years.
Two days before Brutus was taken away and killed, this particular woman and her husband came to Joanne’s house and were looking over a couple of cars her husband was busy restoring. The husband said to Joanne’s husband “I want one of your cars” and Joanne’s husband laughed, and then was told he was going to get one somehow. Then the couple started asking Joanne and her husband questions about her dog, as BSL had just come into law. The questions were very strange and Joanne was worried they were up to something. She asked they never come onto her property again.
Two days later, Joanne was home with some people and Brutus was playing with Joanne’s 1 year old granddaughter. This woman walked right into Joanne’s house and started shaking a prescription bag. Joanne used to play a game with Brutus with a bag and Brutus would jump for it. The woman knew this and Brutus jumped like he always did because it was a favourite game of his and the woman then ran screaming out the door saying Brutus bit her. The paramedics arrived and said the woman hadn’t been bitten by a dog, as there wasn’t a puncture. It was obvious this woman was scamming. Sure enough, when her husband showed up, he said “I told you I would get that car”. He then said “The dog or the car”. Joanne kicked him off her property.
Joanne was contacted by Animal Control and told Brutus must come to Toronto Animal Services with her. When Joanne got there with Brutus, she was told to sign a paper. Joanne was still in shock over the incident and didn’t read the paper; just signed it and they took Brutus from her. That was the last time she was ever to see Brutus again.
The Board of Health and the police showed up at her house the next day and told her the dog should not have been taken away, so Joanne called a judge she knew for help. Every day Joanne and her family would visit TAS to see Brutus, but they were told they weren’t allowed to. She was told Brutus started having seizures, and still she wasn’t allowed to see him or comfort him. On the seventh day, Joanne finally got an order saying she could take him home and she went to TAS to pick him up. TAS told her Brutus had died two days ago. The woman at TAS actually laughed while she told Joanne that. Joanne asked why and was told that since BSL came into law, it was standard practice to kill pit bulls.
When Joanne picked up Brutus’ ashes, she was told ten pit bulls had been cremated that day and the remains of all ten of those dogs were in with Brutus’ ashes.
This woman who claimed she was bitten by Brutus had apparently been “bitten” by seven dogs and her husband by four or five. She got nothing out of Joanne’s insurance company and in fact she admitted in court last year that she lied about Brutus biting her.
