A Massachusetts lawyer has revealed how he has dedicated his career to fighting to save ‘dangerous' dogs from the death penalty.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Jeremy Cohen said his mission began when his own German Shepherd, Jesse, was sentenced to be euthanized after he bit a woman's leg and nipped at a couple of smaller dogs in Marblehead.
Distraught, Cohen called animal rights attorney Steven Wise for advice and was able to successfully argue at an appeal hearing that he and his dog had been deprived of due process.
Jesse was ordered to get training, be kept on a leash and banned from the area of the attack – but crucially, he was allowed to live.
Word of Cohen's win traveled fast and he was soon receiving phone calls from other distressed pet owners begging for help.
Jeremy Cohen said he began his business after his own dog, Jesse, was sentenced to be euthanized after he bit a woman's leg and nipped at a couple of smaller dogs
Cohen opened his new business Boston Dog Lawyers in 2016
Cohen was so successful he ended up selling his business and opening Boston Dog Lawyers in 2016, where he has represented all kinds of animals from cats and horses to pigs and chickens.
Since he began, Cohen said he has received more than 5,000 calls, with cases ranging from capital punishment to grievances against kennels for negligence and messy custody battles.
Cohen said: ‘I always wanted to make a difference, but I never saw a pathway to do that.'
It was Jesse's case that finally stoked a fire within him and he knew there must be thousands of other cases just like his out there.
His practice, however, hasn't been praised from everyone.
Many critics mock the lawyer for taking on animal law, while others see Cohen as a villain for defending ‘dangerous animals'.
‘Sometimes people say, I can't wait for this to happen to you or your family,' he said.
Cohen said: ‘I always wanted to make a difference, but I never saw a pathway to do that'
Since he opened his business, Cohen has received more than 5,000 calls from potential clients
He recalled one recent case where he had represented the owners of a big dog who had killed a smaller dog and said 110 people had turned up for the hearing.
Cohen claimed they all hated him except for his clients.
‘By the end, the people who were the victims, they were shaking my hand because I've learned how to try to not make it a circus atmosphere,' he said.
Cohen explained that he doesn't assume all owners and animals have been wrongfully victimized.
‘I usually start off by saying, my client's a horrible dog owner. If this dog was in my neighborhood, I would want it out as well,' he said.
‘But we're much smarter as a society now than to just say a dog bit, so kill it. There are doctorates and PhD degrees in dog behavior. So, let's take advantage of this knowledge and try to educate the pet owner better.'
He added that he ensures owners implement ways to keep everyone safe such as extensive training, muzzle use, a leash and medication.
Cohen said there are many reasons a dog may bite. ‘It's usually out of fear. They're afraid of something. And if the owner hasn't properly addressed what those triggers are, then you have to look to the owner before you look to the dog,' he explained.
He added that a major factor in these cases is a need for revenge.
‘People see another dog's killed and there's this revenge factor,' he added. ‘And I understand it, but, before a judge, I think we can explain how this happened and how we can minimize it from happening again.'
Cohen represents all kinds of animals, and recently had a case involving a pig who was being kept as a support animal
Cohen's practice has become a major driving force in change for animals' rights.
‘We're starting to see the law change in Massachusetts at least and open up to that these pets are irreplaceable,' he said. ‘And there's got to be other ways to correct people's behavior or to get your dog back if it's still alive and being held away from you.'
In most states animal abuse has changed from a misdemeanor to a criminal offense.
In 22 states, veterinarians are required to report suspected animal abuse to the authorities and now the FBI recognizes animal abuse cases in the same categories as other major crimes.
This not only applies to pets, but also livestock. Laws have sprung up in several states protecting farm animals from inhumane confinement.
‘Poll after poll after poll has shown that Americans care very deeply about animal protection issues and animal welfare,' Chris Green, executive director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund and former director of the animal law program at Harvard Law School, told the Boston Globe.
According to the outlet, fewer than a dozen attorneys practice pet law full time in America and Cohen is among the most skilled and prominent.
Cohen's practice has become a major driving force in change for animals' rights
Cohen said he often has to ‘go through a justification process', but also won't represent anyone with the ‘wrong mindset'.
He added: ‘I'm not taking the case if you don't understand this was your fault, but here's how we can fix it.'
Cohen explained that pet ownership is ‘so much responsibility' and you need to provide the care and guidance to your pet for its whole life.
‘And that's that obligation that we took on when dogs were domesticated, and cats were domesticated. And it's a shame to see people just don't keep up with that obligation,' he said.
He revealed details about one case where a dog belonging to a couple in their seventies had been taken away and they did not know why.
Cohen said the couple had not been taking their dog to the groomers during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it had stopped going to the bathroom.
‘And so, they went to the vet and vets around here are obligated to report animal neglect or cruelty. And the vet said, I'll tell you why your dog isn't pooping is because its fur has grown over its butt,' he explained.
Cohen questioned whether the neglect was worth the felony charge they were facing.
‘So, we worked out this grooming arrangement. Once a month, someone would come in and groom the dog under supervision. But it just seems too many people don't even know some of the basics and it's really sad for that pet,' he added.
Cohen explained that pet ownership is ‘so much responsibility' and you need to provide the care and guidance to your pet for its whole life
‘I try to remember like on holidays that there's people sitting with their pet who wouldn't have been, and people are thinking of us and they're appreciative,' Cohen said
In Cohen's office he displays a large picture frame on the wall with a collection of photos of past canine clients.
Underneath a caption reads: ‘He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.'
On a shelf in his office Cohen keeps a small box with a brass plaque which reads: ‘Jesse's ashes.'
‘I try to remember like on holidays that there's people sitting with their pet who wouldn't have been, and people are thinking of us and they're appreciative,' he said.
‘It's a good feeling because it's so easy to not have good feelings, you know, and to not feel good about yourself and what you do,' he added. ‘So, this identity as a dog lawyer has been something really special for me.'
