A Series of Events to Remember for Court

Fri, 7-20 : Cute little Black Dog shows up in the neighborhood, slips under a fence, and plays with dogs in yard behind us.
Sun, 7-22 : Dog hanging around still, comes to play with dogs behind us, then notices our dogs and sniffs around them for a while. That night, outside, I notice Black Dog running around with another skinny, young dog. This one has a tag. I am a sucker, and hope that if one of my dogs ever gets away that someone will help them out. So I coax them into my yard, read the tag (city license, no name or #) and let that dog in the house because he is wriggling his way through the door anyways. Will call city clerk in AM, take dog to his owner, the end. Black Dog sits outside the door whining, crying, and barking now that he's left alone. Reluctantly let him in, too. They shouldn't be wandering around on garbage night anyways, being traffic hazards and strewing trash all over the place. Sucker.
Mon, 7-23 : Get owner's name and number and begin calling before work. Their ans. machine says memory full and cell phone goes straight to voicemail. Shut the dogs in backyard and go do my day. Periodically call Cujo's owner with the same results every time. When we get home, gate's open and dogs are gone. Oh well. They show up again after dark. Cry, whine, bark in backyard and drive my dogs insane. Another night w/no sleep.
Tues, 7-24 : Begin calling again before work. Reach owner on cell. Tells me his son is probably at home and take the dog over there. "Just open the front door and let him in." (!) It WAS the scary house I was hoping it wasn't. Building permit in window and construction materials and laundry all over living room and, oh yeah, guns and knives artfully displayed on the wall. Cujo appeared to be at home.
Black Dog shows up that evening, and surprise! Cujo's back.
Thurs, 7-26 : Take D to summer latchkey, and return home. Black Dog and Cujo running around. Stop car at corner and call them to me. Go home to get Animal Control's number. Call to say they are right here. Come get them. Eventually had to give up waiting and return to work. Get home that night and Black Dog greets us. Neighbor says dog catcher couldn't catch him. Cujo makes another nighttime appearance.
Fri, 7-27 : D spent night at Grandma's, so when I saw Cujo's owner's truck creeping around, I thought, "cool, now it's just the little guy." He kept creeping, though and stopped in front of my house for a couple of minutes. When he left, I looked out and Black Dog was huddled, shivering on the top step in the corner of my front door. Opened it to let him in, and M dashes out to freedom. Follow him around neighborhood, trying to get him back and Animal Control pulls up. She chases him home, gets Black Dog from me, and GIVES ME A TICKET for having an animal at large since she saw M out only a month or so ago. Make sure I show up on court day or they WILL issue a bench warrant. Ummm...WHAAAAA???? Ok, right, just explain? If there were a reasonable judge in our district, maybe, but it has just been recommended by the Judicial Tenure Committee to censure this judge due in part to ridiculous sentencing rulings. "The JTC finds bond and sentencing practices ... constitute judicial misconduct in office and conduct clearly prejudicial to the administration of justice," so hopefully she will not be having a bad day.