15 Apr, 1999

The Honorable Timothy P. Conner
Washtenaw County Circuit Court
101 East Huron Street
P. O. Box 8650
Ann Arbor, MI 48107-8650

Dear Judge Connor:

This letter concerns a case before you in which, as we understand it, a chow dog belonging to Mrs. Seiko Ikuma is being characterized as dangerous. We are writing you in the hopes of influencing the timing of your deliberations, and to state our belief that to date Mrs. Ikuma has not received fair and impartial justice by Ann Arbor?s justice system.

Professor Ikuma is Harry?s colleague in the University of Michigan?s Department of Biology and a close personal friend. Professor Ikuma and his wife have attended social and professional gatherings with us for almost 30 years, and we know them to be of the highest moral and ethical character. They would never subject their neighbors to a dangerous pet!

Our concerns include:

1. that the case is frivolous, since Mrs. Ikuma has already been judged not guilty of intentionally harboring a vicious dog,
2. that the legal courses of action taken by the parents and friends of the young boy bitten by Mrs. Ikuma?s dog have taken far too long to be justified by the phrase ?speedy justice?,
3. that these tactics of delay are designed to cost Professor and Mrs. Ikuma the maximum in time, money and inconvenience - i.e. are being used punitively rather than to see justice done, and
4. that the current motivation for destruction of the animal has more to do with punishing the Ikuma family psychologically than in a belief that their dog is dangerous.

If our concerns can sway the court?s behavior at all, we would hope that they would help reduce to an absolute minimum the toll this matter takes on the Ikuma family. We hope that the court considers and is influenced by the statements of people who know the dog and who believe it not to be dangerous. We believe that the court should render a fair judgement and allow the Ikuma?s dog to be released into their responsible care. Finally, we believe that the sequestering of the Ikuma?s dog these many months has been unnecessary, and that therefore, Professor and Mrs. Ikuma should not be required to bear its cost.

We thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely yours;

Karin M. Douthit Harry A. Douthit, Jr.