The owners of two Rottweilers claim in a federal lawsuit that they were harassed to the point of moving by Collier's animal control officers.

The lawsuit, filed yesterday by Geoffrey and Bonnie Turosak, includes claims for malicious prosecution, invasion of privacy, negligence and violations of the equal protection clause.

According to the complaint, Mrs. Turosak was walking the two dogs on July 29, 2008, when she claims a neighbor's yellow Labrador retriever, which was off leash, provoked her male dog to break from its leash and bite the other dog.

The neighbor filed a complaint with Collier police, which prompted a number of citations by animal control, including one in which officers arrived at the Turosaks' home unannounced and cited them for not having the dogs' tags on inside.

Ultimately, all of the charges against the couple were dropped in December at the district magistrate's level.

However, the couple spent more than $8,000 in legal fees. As part of their claims, they say that they were persecuted in their neighborhood by having their car keyed, and then were forced to sell their house and move to avoid future harassment.

Collier Solicitor Chuck Means said he had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment on the matter.

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