Judge Judy, known for her toughness and no-nonsense approach in the courtroom, had a Solomonic approach to one special case involving a stolen dog.
How she handled this courtroom drama became one of the most popular moments on her show, “Judge Judy.”
The case happened many years ago, where the plaintiff filed charges against a woman he claimed stole his dog, Baby Boy.
The woman defended that she didn’t steal the dog.
She bought it from a street seller for $50 and the man claiming to be the dog’s owner was wrong to assume that it’s his pet.
The woman proceeded to prove that she’s the dog’s rightful owner.
She brought papers that showed her ownership and she also had stacks of photos of Baby Boy.
The plaintiff, however, insisted that it’s his dog; it’s the animal he treated like a child.
Judge Judy felt that something wasn’t quite right with these claims but she needed someone else’s help to figure it out.
In a bold decision, Judge Judy asked the defendant to bring the dog inside the courtroom.
Just this once, she would allow the dog off the leash because the judge wanted to see where Baby Boy would go first.
Once loose, Baby Boy immediately ran to the plaintiff.
Without a doubt in her mind, the judge declared that the dog belongs to the man and closed the case.
The reunion brought the man to tears and as he hugged Baby Boy in the courtroom and said that this dog meant the world to him.
The defendant was also in tears and some disagreed with the decision to award the dog to the plaintiff because Baby Boy also became part of the defendant’s family.
In fact, she responsibly kept the dog’s vet visits in order.
But for most people, what Judge Judy did was perhaps the best way to decide on the case.
Ignoring all other evidence but the dog’s instinct was probably the only way to tell where the dog should really live.
The defendant may mean well but dogs don’t lie. They are the most honest and most loyal creatures in this world. They also have the best instincts.
To pick the plaintiff over the defendant shows that the dog recognizes the man as its true owner.
Meanwhile, “Judge Judy” has been on the air for nearly 25 years and it’s still going strong with the viewers.
It remains the number one daytime syndicated program today. The CBS court show averages at least 10 million viewers daily.
Judge Judy is actually Judge Judy Sheindlin, a former prosecutor at a family court in Manhattan.
She also served as a criminal court judge under the term of Mayor Ed Koch.
Her reputation as an outspoken judge brought her national recognition in the 1990s, hence CBS got her to star in an arbitration TV show.
She is also the best-selling author of the book, “Don’t Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It’s Raining.”
