Owners seek DNA test to clear dog in fatal attack

The owners of a Belgian Malinois accused of killing a neighbor dog want time for a DNA test to clear their dog before a judge's order to euthanize it moves forward.

Ed Marshall, the lawyer for Pam and Kenneth Job, has filed a motion for the DNA testing to be conducted on the dead dog, a Pomeranian named Vlad.

District Judge Michael Hulewicz ruled Sept. 19 the Belgian Malinois named Jeb be euthanized after hearing testimony at a show-cause hearing.

The court case followed the Aug. 24 incident in which St. Clair resident Christopher Sawa saw his neighbor's dog, Jeb, standing over his dog, Vlad. Both dogs were inside his backyard.

After Sawa determined Vlad was dead, he contacted St. Clair County Animal Control. Kenneth Job surrendered his dog voluntarily to animal control, according to a report from animal control.

But now Job wants his dog back.

Because Vlad is still available for testing, Marshall said he is asking the judge to give the Jobs time to have an independent lab test the dog for DNA. He said this will more definitively tell if Jeb was the cause of Vlad's death.

The motion hearing is set for 10 a.m. Monday.

"If they give us time to get a DNA swab tested from the animal, then we'll wait to get the testing back,"  Marshall said. "If they deny the right to get us the new trial, we'll appeal to circuit court."

Pam Job, Kenneth Job's wife, testified during the show cause hearing on Sept. 19 and said Jeb is a service dog who helps her husband get up after he falls, as he has a condition that causes his muscles to deteriorate. She also said Jeb is not a registered service animal, but has been trained by herself and her neighbor, who is a veterinarian.

According to Michigan laws regarding dangerous animals, a dog is considered dangerous if it bites or attacks causing serious injury or death to a human or animal when it is under the control of its owner. After hearing testimony, Hulewicz said at the show cause hearing that he had no choice but to rule Jeb must be euthanized.

Vlad suffered from severe bruising over both shoulders and a puncture wound on his right front leg. There was another deep wound found on his left side that penetrated the dog's chest and broke two ribs. According to the veterinarian who examined Vlad, his injuries were consistent with being picked up and shaken by a larger animal.

Contact Sydney Smith at (810) 989-6259 or ssmith10@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @SydneyS_mith.