Key Points:
- A court-approved settlement resolves litigation over two dogs ordered to be euthanized following attacks in Wilton.
- SNARR Northeast assumes ownership and responsibility for the dogs, which must leave Connecticut and never return.
- The rescue must pay Wilton $21,000 following a case that generated substantial legal and animal care expenses.
Why It Matters: The settlement establishes responsibility for the dogs’ future care and restrictions intended to protect the public while providing a payment to the town.
After a two-year legal battle involving two dogs ordered to be euthanized following multiple biting attacks, Wilton has reached settled the case under an agreement requiring a rescue organization to pay the town $21,000 cost and permanently remove the dogs from Connecticut.
In April 2024 the two dogs — a pit bull and pit bull mix named Betsy and Marge — sent an 18-year-old woman walking on Belden Hill Rd., sending her to the hospital, according to police. Then in November 2024, the same two dogs attacked a man playing with his children at Miller-Driscoll School, causing injuries that required a hospital visit.
Police identified Erasmo Farinas, who police said had multiple prior violations related to animals, was later arrested and charged. The dogs were placed in the care of Wilton’s Animal Control Officer Christopher Muir and were scheduled to be euthanized. Farinas and his wife, Maria, however, brought litigation against the town and Muir, putting the euthanasia orders on hold.
The Farinas family previously operated the Bone and Bark Inn in Wilton, which the state shut down on Jan. 9, 2025, for operating without a license. The facility was cited for poor conditions that investigators said “put dogs at risk of injury.” Although the couple said at the time that they would address the issues and planned to reopen the facility, they instead Wilton left town shortly afterward.
Wilton Police reported 20 separate dog-related incidents involving the couple since 2015, including animal cruelty cases, roaming and unlicensed dogs, and complaints related to their former Belden Hill Rd. residence. They housed multiple dogs, and at least one was mauled by another dog.
Disputed Ownership
Even before coming to Wilton, Betsy was reportedly involved in three separate attacks on people in White Plains, N.Y., in 2022. According to court documents, the dog also killed two other dogs while living at the home of Courtney Bellew, who was identified as its owner.
After the Farinases left town, Brewster, N.Y.-based SNARR Northeast Adoption Center entered the lawsuit as an intervening plaintiff, asserting an ownership interest in the dogs. The organization maintained that the Farinases had never owned them but were fostering them for SNARR.
Bellew is SNARR’s founder and she serves as both its medical director and executive director. She signed the stipulated judgment on behalf of SNARR Northeast.
An attorney representing SNARR Northeast continued the case against Wilton. The organization maintained that the Farinases had never owned the dogs but were fostering them for SNARR.
In a Crossclaim the SNARR’s attorneys claimed that ownership of the two dogs was always intended to remain with SNARR. The court papers said Marge was placed with the Farinases under a foster agreement on or about May 31, 2023, and that Betsy was likewise placed in their care on or about Jan. 31, 2024.
On Nov. 22, 2025, the Farinases formally relinquished the dogs to SNARR Northeast, according to court papers. The town subsequently sought dismissal of the couple’s appeal of the euthanasia orders on the grounds that the couple were no longer the dogs’ owners, but the motion was denied.
The Farinases later signed papers stating they had never owned the dogs, according to SNARR’s attorneys.
On April 13, 2026, attorneys for SNARR Northeast filed an intervening complaint asserting that the dogs were the property of SNARR and that the Farinases were fostering both Betsy and Marge. The filing also criticized the couple’s handing of the dogs.
Earlier Attacks in White Plains
A former dog handler who worked with SNARR Northeast contacted Wilton police and shared information about Betsy’s involvement in earlier attacks.
According to police, while owned by Bellew, Betsy attacked three different people while roaming free in the summer of 2022 in White Plains, N.Y.
Police records in White Plains confirmed that Betsy attacked two people while roaming free in two separate incidents on Sept. 16, 2022. The dog handler also reported a third attack earlier that summer.
Court documents show that Bellew reached a settlement with at least one of those victims for an undisclosed sum.
Police were also informed that Betsy had killed a white pug named Yazzy and a Yorkshire Terrier named Oliver inside Bellew’s home.
According to the police report, Bellew acquired Betsy from an Armonk, N.Y.-based group called Adopt-A-Dog Inc., where she apparently served as the executive director for three years beginning in 2021..
Costs Continued to Escalate
First Selectman Toni Boucher declined to comment on the case because it was still in the courts, but she said that as of early June the town had already incurred more than $28,000 in legal costs.
She said that figure did not include any related costs for staff overtime or direct care and feeding of the two animals.
“Since ‘Marge’ and ‘Betsy’ have been dropped off, I have been evaluating their behavior,” Muir wrote in the November 2024 police report. “From day one, ‘Marge’ has displayed high levels of unprovoked aggression. The dog growls and bares its teeth and repeatedly lunges at the enclosure trying to attack me. Despite being on 300mg a day of Trazodone, the dog is still full of rage.”
“Since both dogs have been involved in two unprovoked, off-property attacks, I believe the public is in serious danger of additional attacks occurring,” Muir wrote.
SNARR’s intervention in the court case, its attorneys sought visitation arrangements for representatives of that organization.
The judge granted visitation, but SNARR’s attorneys argued that the kennel where the dogs were being held was unsuitable for a visit.
“We feel the spirit of the Judge’s Order was not to have my clients see them in cages like monkeys at a zoo,” attorney Jonathan Levitan, a Danbury-based attorney, wrote to the town’s legal counsel. “That allows exactly zero social interaction (our clients were told no one is allowed to touch the dogs and this would continue that) and their only exercise has been in the small run in which they are confined.”
Instead, Levitan suggested allowing his clients to visit with the dogs in the adjacent historic Saint Matthew’s Parish Cemetery, located just north of the police station and shelter.
“Anyone that would be coming to see these dogs from my client’s rescue organization are well trained and skilled with animals,” Levitan wrote. “They would have martingale collars for them and slip leads and the people that would be coming all know these specific dogs very well.”
Stipulated Judgment
The stipulated judgment approved in Stamford Superior Court on Nov. 9 establishes SNARR Northeast as the dogs’ owner and makes the organization fully responsible for their care and possession going forward.
“Upon obtaining possession of the dogs, SNARR shall remove them from the State of Connecticut and shall not bring the dogs back to Connecticut thereafter for any reason,” the Judgment states.
SNARR was ordered by the court to SNARR to pay Wilton $21,000, including $10,000 within seven days of judgment and before the dogs are released. The remaining balance is payable in monthly installments of $1,000.
The judgment also requires regular veterinary care and compliance with all recommended treatments and prescribed medications. Both SNARR and the Farinases must indemnify and hold the town and Muir harmless against future claims related to the dogs.
Boucher was asked for additional comment, including her reaction to the settlement, but she did not respond.
Bellew expressed appreciation and happiness with the outcome.
“We are overjoyed and relieved, but heartbroken over how much of their lives were spent in confinement while we fought through our court proceedings and disputes over ownership,” Bellew said on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
“We feel deeply for the people who were hurt, and we do not excuse the dogs’ behavior,” she said. “We also know these dogs as loving, affectionate animals who need responsible handling and secure containment so they cannot run loose.”
Bellew said that despite the long-term confinement, both dogs are in good spirits — “incredibly social, happy, and eager to connect with people.”
“We are especially grateful to Officer Chris Muir for seeing the dogs beyond the incidents that brought them to animal control,” she said. “His willingness to recognize their affectionate personalities, believe in their capacity for a safe and fulfilling life, and help make this resolution possible deserves meaningful credit. Thank you, Chris, for giving Betsy and Marge a chance. We are so thankful to him for helping make their release possible.”
