Injured dog's owner wins big

An Olivehurst man, angry at a judge's decision Monday that he pay $4,012 in veterinarian bills for the 9-year-old Chihuahua of his neighbor, threw dollar bills at his neighbor in court.

Tom Snow, 44, said he will not pay Fernando Salgado, 44, who won the small claims case in Yuba County Superior Court involving Salgado's dog Chocolata and two Labradors belonging to Snow.

"That's all the money he's going to get from me," Snow said nearly two hours after the judge's decision. "They can put me in jail. I'm still not going to pay him."

A bailiff directed Snow to sit down after throwing the money. Judge Dennis J. Buckley moments before had warned Snow about walking out of the courtroom when the judge said he was ruling for Salgado.

"You will spend the night in jail, sir, I promise," the judge told Snow, "if you cannot behave like a gentleman."

Snow in court apologized to Buckley for throwing the money, citing the stress of a family member's recent stroke and the court case.

Buckley's ruling followed testimony by Salgado about preparing to mow the lawn at his home along Laurel Avenue at about 7:15 p.m. May 28 when Snow's dog came on to his property. Salgado's other two Chihuahuas ran out of sight, said Salgado, who spoke in court of kicking the Labradors to get them away from Chocolata.

Surgery for the Chihuahua will cost more than $3,000 — in addition to earlier vet bills of $912 that Salgado said he paid for with a credit card. "She needs the surgery," he said of the dog being able to walk. "I don't have the money to pay for it."

Snow's dogs had their teeth around Chocolota's rear legs, said Salgado. Snow had offered to pay for the vet bills after the incident but has not responded to messages left for him, Salgado said.

Salgado said in court that since the incident, Snow has yelled at him, told Salgado to come out and fight, and called him a Mexican.

"Yeah, I think I did because he is," Snow said of his ethnic reference. Snow also agreed that he asked Salgado if he wanted to fight.

But Snow, who works as a fence builder, disputed telling Salgado he'd pay the vet bills for the Chihuahua.

Snow described what occurred with the animals as a dog fight in the middle of Laurel Avenue.

"We're both at fault," Snow said of himself and Salgado. "I don't want his money. I want to be left alone. I want this to come to an end."

Snow said he looked down the street and saw two Chihuahuas attacking one of his two dogs. He described the Chihuahua as a very aggressive breed. "I know my dogs," Snow said, calling Coco and Studley docile.

He apologized for his animals getting loose from his property but said the yellow Labrador "did not do nothing to those Chihuahuas."

"The judge never heard a word I said," added Snow.

The Olivehurst man said six law enforcement officers were assigned to watch him as he left the courthouse.

Judge Buckley said in court that he found it unbelievable that the Chihuahuas, weighing several pounds, would take on Snow's dogs, which weigh about 80 pounds each.

A neighbor of Salgado testified and supported the account that Snow's dogs had come on to Salgado's property, the judge said in court.

Buckley, after his decision, asked an interpreter to tell Salgado, who does not speak English, that "getting a judgment is one thing."

"Being able to collect is another," Buckley said in court. "How he's going to collect I have no idea."