Whiskerville bond hearing set for Friday

TEXAS CITY — Wydell Dixon, owner of Whiskerville Animal Sanctuary Inc. where almost 30 cats died, will have an opportunity to argue against a $105,000 appeal bond set by Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Sonny James.

A hearing on the bond amount is set for 4 p.m. Friday in County Court at Law No. 3, 600 59th St., in Galveston.

Texas City and Galveston County animal control officers on Jan. 3 seized 184 cats and found 27 dead at Whiskerville, 1112 Sixth St. N., in Texas City.

Dixon has argued she should have the cats back.

But James ruled Jan. 17 the cats would stay with the Galveston County Animal Resource Center.

Dixon is attempting to appeal the ruling. But to do so, she must post the $105,000 appeal bond set by James.

A state law passed during the last legislative session requires a person who has had the animals taken from them to pay the cost of keeping and caring for the animals during the appeal process.

At the Jan. 17 hearing, Dixon and her attorney, R. Scott Shearer, said Dixon was not responsible for the condition of the shelter. Dixon said shelter employee Kim Paskert was supposed to be caring for the animals while Dixon was away visiting her estranged family.

Shearer argued the cats would be in better care with Dixon and her no-kill sanctuary than at the county animal facility where some eventually could be euthanized.

But James sided with the prosecution and said he would not return the cats to Dixon.

“There’s a bunch of questions that are going to have to be resolved on Friday,” Shearer said.

Shearer has argued the bond should be reduced or waived.
He also has questioned the constitutionality of requiring his client to put up a bond to appeal a ruling.

He said Friday’s hearing should resolve questions about the bond amount and whether the county court was assuming jurisdiction over the matter.

“My hope is that on Friday, we are going to get some resolution,” Shearer said.