False Charge of Dog Abuse Settlement Talks

New York City, New York Jun 17, 2023 (Issuewire.com) – The legal proceedings surrounding the libel lawsuits and false charges of abuse against a pitbull named Timber are advancing in an upstate court. A Settlement Conference has been scheduled for Thursday, June 22, at 1 PM, at Columbia Supreme Court, where Joann Miller and Danielle Infantino will meet with Will Pflaum, the owner and president of Glencadia Dog Camp, to discuss terms for resolving their suits and countersuits related to Timber’s boarding at Glencadia in 2020. The case is identified as Miller v. Pflaum / Pflaum v. Miller (E012022017958), and it is presided over by Justice Sara W. McGinty.

In December 2020, Miller and Infantino sent their 11-year-old male pitbull, Timber, to Glencadia Dog Camp for a 10-day boarding period while they were not traveling, remaining approximately two hours away in New York City during the entire duration of the dog’s stay at the kennel. As Infantino stated in a text message, Timber had a pre-existing infection on his testicle.

According to Ryan Llera, BSc, DVM; Robin Downing, DVM, CVPP, CCRP, DAAPM; and Ernest Ward, DVM, in their article on cryptorchidism in dogs, “Cryptorchidism is the medical term that refers to the failure of one or both testicles (testes) to descend into the scrotum.” They also note that early neutering is recommended for such dogs as retained testicles are more prone to develop testicular tumors (cancer). Timber, at 11 years old during his stay at Glencadia Dog Camp, was beyond the typical age for resolving a retained testicle, which is usually done at six months or during the early stages of life.

When Timber’s condition worsened on the second day of boarding, Glencadia’s staff promptly sought veterinary care and covered the expenses for life-saving treatment. Despite being informed by the veterinarian that Timber’s life was at stake, Miller and Infantino did not retrieve the dog from the kennel. After the completion of the ten-day boarding period, Glencadia returned Timber to the owners. Miller and Infantino never re-paid Glencadia for the vet visit.

Subsequently, Miller and Infantino launched a GoFundMe campaign, falsely claiming that Timber had been abused at Glencadia Dog Camp. They managed to raise approximately $1600 based on this unfounded accusation. Following these events, Miller, who works as a correction officer in the Bronx, filed criminal charges of dog abuse against Will Pflaum, the owner of Glencadia Dog Camp.

Glencadia’s president asserts, “I was never even in the room with Timber. I couldn’t have abused him. Miller was aware that the allegation of abuse was false when she contacted the police.”

In an effort to present the facts accurately, Glencadia’s founder published relevant information about the case on his blog. Miller and Infantino retained the services of attorney Henry Kaufman and filed a lawsuit against Pflaum in Long Island. In response, Pflaum counter-sued in Columbia County, upstate. On Thursday, June 22, at 1 PM, both parties will consider Glencadia’s owner’s proposal to withdraw both lawsuits and bring the matter to a close.