Fight turns ugly over cute dog website
Breaking up is hard to do, harder when there’s a dog involved, and, apparently, even harder yet when that dog has a website.
Scott Smith and his girlfriend, Anna Camara, started the website Sammy and the City last year, posting photos of his abnormally cute Pomeranian posing in front of New York city landmarks.
When they broke up, Smith apparently kept the dog, but Camara — through what Smith alleges was some sleight of hand — kept the website.
For a while, they worked on it together, but then Camara, who handled most of the photography, registered herself as sole owner, and changed the passwords and ID’s so Smith could no longer log on.
At least, the New York Post reports, that’s what Smith claims in a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.
“This is one of the biggest atrocities that has ever happened to a family,” Smith, 43, told the Post. “This is my dog, this is my project, and not one bit of it is in my name.”
While arguing his ex basically stole his website, which he valued at $500,000, Smith is starting up a new Sammy site, called Everybody Loves Sammy, which is now under construction, and for which he is soliciting donations.
Sammy and the City was put together by Smith, his sister Jessica, and Camara, 44. It received about 40,000 visitors a month, and had 8,500 Facebook fans.
After the break-up, Smith alleges, Camara took the iPad he used to post images, deleted the photographs and returned it with passwords changed. Smith admits he was so mad about it he grabbed Camara’s iPhone to get the passwords back, leading to a scuffle and a petty larceny charge against him.
Camara denied the allegations in Smith’s lawsuit, and said the original website never made any money.
(Photo: Sammy at the Empire State Building; by Anna Camara, from Sammy and the City)
Posted by jwoestendiek July 5th, 2012 under Muttsblog.
Tags: animals, anna camara, blog, break up, custody, cute, dog, dogs, everybody loves sammy, internet, landmarks, lawsuit, new york, pets, pomeranian, relationships, sammy, sammy and the city, scott smith, splitting up, websites
Comments
Comment from New Yorkie
Time August 8, 2012 at 5:03 pm
I’ve known the plaintiff for several years. The dog originally belonged to a model who ditched hmm when she moved in with another guy in the building. The dog’s owner loves him and never sought to exploit him.
When he began dating a woman who worked in PR and lost her job, she noticed how popular the dog was on Facebook and suggested then set up a site. When they broke up, she used the dog to get even. She never lived with it or cared for it, but she recognized a business opportunity. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.



























































Comment from JJ
Time July 9, 2012 at 12:22 pm
This is so sad! It’s like two parents in a bitter custody fight over their kids, but with money involved!