ONLY ON 3: Doodle Rescue fires back at Pantanos

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The doodle drama continues for Congressional candidate Ilario Pantano.

Earlier this month, we told you about Pantano’s puppy problems with a rescue organization based in New Jersey. The political hopeful says his family is being targeted because of who he is and what he stands for. The group says not so.

Pantano says the Doodle Rescue Collective is attempting to take away the two goldendoodle puppies his family adopted earlier this year because of his political affiliation. The doodle collective says it’s Pantano and his family who are in the wrong.

“We are not political in any way, and I myself am not political,” DRC executive director Jacquie Yorke said. “This is not a political issue. This is just ridiculous. This is about puppies, about dogs. All we care about are those animals. We don’t care what Mr. Pantano’s politics are. We had no idea who he was.”

Yorke says she does not care what Pantano does for a living; all she cares about are the dogs her organization is responsible for.

Yorke says after the group deemed the Pantanos not acceptable to adopt the two goldendoodle puppies they had been fostering, the family refused to return the dogs and gave them to Pantano’s mother Merry in Pender County. That’s when Yorke says things got out of hand.

“It’s just very unnerving to be trying to do good work on behalf of animals but have no voice,” she said. “That’s all we’re trying to do. And to have the voice on the other end of the phone threatening your life, because of a political spin in the media on a canine rescue story.”

Yorke says Pantano’s wife Jill threatened her life when she told them the family could not keep the puppies. According to Yorke, Jill told her that Ilario was a sharp shooter.

“She threatened me saying her husband was going to shoot me or anyone else that came on their property to try and get possession of our animals,” Yorke said.

The Doodle Rescue Collective is still trying to get the puppies from the Pantanos. Yorke says the group has paperwork proving it has legal rights to the dogs, but she is not confident they would be able to get the dogs back in North Carolina.

“If it went to small claims court, it would have to go in either Pender County or New Hanover County. I don’t know if we have a prayer of getting back our puppies in those counties,” Yorke said.

We tried to speak with Pantano today about the latest developments in this story. He declined an on-camera interview. Instead he sent us a statement saying, “The Pantano family stands behind our earlier statement on the lawful purchase of our puppies, and we will continue to provide them with a loving, caring home. Ms. Yorke’s recent attempt to portray herself in a positive light is a response to the outpouring of support that my family has received in light of her slanderous attacks. We greatly appreciate the support we have received from our local community and from around the county.”

Yorke says neither she nor anyone from the Doodle Rescue Collective has never spoken with Ilario Pantano, just his wife Jill and mother Merry.