Dennis Briatico promised to light a fire under sleepy North Augusta politics when he was elected to the city council, but his actions as a volunteer with the North Augusta Animal Control has one resident fuming.
Jason Courtright of North Augusta says he plans to file a police report accusing Briatico of stealing his dog, Felix, on May 17.
“I’ve got the video from my Ring camera, he came up on my porch, didn’t ring the doorbell or knock on the door and put a rope on my dog and took him off in broad daylight,” Courtright said.
Briatico has a bit of a different story.
According to Briatico, he noticed a posting on the “North Augusta 2020” Facebook page showing a dog wearing a “cone of shame” wandering in the roadway.
Briatico says his instincts after years of working as a volunteer for the North Augusta Animal Control kicked in. He set out to find the dog and either return it to its owner or take it to Animal Control.
“The dog was clearly wandering around in the road and the cone he was wearing made it difficult for him to see, so it was just a matter of time before he darted out in front of a car and got hit,” Briatico said.
Briatico says he went to the location, where he found the dog on Courtright’s porch, but he wasn’t sure if the dog belonged at that address. After knocking on the door, Briatico says he secured the animal and took it directly to Animal Control.
Briatico estimated that the dog had been wandering the neighborhood for about three hours.
“He had a cone on and booties on his paws and was clearly either sick, or in some kind of distress, so I followed the South Carolina Good Samaritan Law and safely took him to Animal Control,” Briatico said.
According to Courtright, he and his wife were in Daytona, Fla. and the dog was left in the care of his brother. He admits that his brother was not at the residence when the dog chewed through its doggy door and escaped.
“We have never had problems with Felix escaping before. He’s not a nuisance animal,” Courtright said.
Courtright says he was cited for the dog being loose.
According to Briatico, the Animal Control Department is severely understaffed, having only one officer on duty who is responsible for stray pick-up and removing roadkill.
“Animal Control in North Augusta is largely a volunteer effort. So instead of calling the cops, this man ought to be thanking me,” Briatico said.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter, Editorial Page Editor and weekly columnist for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
