Dogged Devotion in the Wake of Katrina

Stephen H. Dye, a partner in the Firm’s San Francisco office, was interviewed for a story that aired on KCBS (740 AM) on August 30, 2009. Mr. Dye discussed the case of Jessie Pullins, who reluctantly left his dog J.J. behind when Hurricane Katrina chased his family out of New Orleans in August 2005. A year later, Mr. Pullins discovered that his dog had been rescued and sent to a shelter in Southern California. A Katrina rescue worker then saw J.J. on the cable TV show “The Dog Whisperer” and contacted Mr. Pullins.

A Schnader team led by Mr. Dye volunteered to represent Mr. Pullins on a pro bono basis to help him reunite with J.J. It then took a long legal battle to get the dog back from his adoptive owners.

“As we got into it and realized the depth of feeling really on both sides of the issue and how important the relationship was between the man and his dog, it really became quite gratifying to be involved with it,” Mr. Dye said.

To hear the full KCBS report, please click here.

Mr. Dye’s work on Jessie Pullins’ case was also the subject of an August 27 item titled “To Get Happy End For This Interstate Custody Dispute, S.F. Lawyer Had To Be Dogged,” published on the Legal Pad, the blog of The Recorder and Cal Law. Mr. Dye discussed how different this case was from the pro bono cases he is accustomed to. “It’s one of those representations that are once in a career, at least for me,” he said. “I don’t know that I’ve ever had a client so appreciative, so happy with the work.”