Ana Chan’s dog, a Great Dane named Rodgers, was sentenced to death.
Chan, a disabled Army veteran with a traumatic brain injury and partial blindness in one eye, relied on Rodgers for companionship, routine, and physical support. She felt safer in crosswalks with him keeping watch on traffic. His height meant he could close kitchen cabinets, preventing Chan from hitting her head. His strength helped her maintain balance when she was unsteady.
The Cornell Law School’s Veterans Law Practicum, which typically assists veterans with discharge-status appeals and benefits applications, secured clemency for Rodgers in the fall of 2024 after a judge had deemed him dangerous and sentenced him to be euthanized.
“When you saved his life, you saved my life, too,” Chan told Jimmy Hardwick, supervising attorney of the practicum and adjunct professor in the Law School.
“It was a really difficult case,” said Isaac Belenkiy ’24, who worked on it as part of the practicum. “The odds were not in Ana’s favor, and she faced many challenges as a veteran with a traumatic brain injury and struggles with poverty. We leveraged Cornell’s resources to provide highquality legal representation.” Launched in fall 2023, the Veterans Law Practicum was created to assist veterans seeking legal advice and representation.
Launched in fall 2023, the Veterans Law Practicum was created to assist veterans seeking legal advice and representation. Law students practice under the supervision of adjunct professors with backgrounds in disability claims and veterans’ benefits. Some students are veterans themselves, including Aziz Ali ’26, who is assisting with Chan’s case.
Chan suffered cognitive impairment during her Army service, but a severe accident in 2015 while working in a Navy shipyard after her discharge was the most impactful. She got Rodgers, named after former Green Bay Pacers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, in 2021 to assist her with daily tasks. Although not formally certified as a service animal, Chan views him as essential to her well-being.
In December 2023, one of Chan’s neighbors accused Rodgers of biting her arm.
“I did not see that bite,” Chan said. She always kept Rodgers on a leash. The accusation was puzzling, especially after an earlier complaint from another neighbor, who had surprised Rodgers from behind, causing minor bruising.
Unable to navigate the court system or afford an attorney, Chan’s social worker reached out to the Veterans Law Practicum.
Nobody else would have taken this case. Very few private attorneys would have returned Ms. Chan’s phone call.
—Jimmy Hardwick
“Nobody else would have taken this case,” Hardwick said. “Very few private attorneys would have returned Ms. Chan’s phone call.” Hardwick and his colleagues recognized that Chan would significantly benefit from having Rodgers back.
They spent hours interviewing neighbors in Bath, New York, who testified that Rodgers was well-behaved during walks. They collected affidavits and found a dog behavior expert who testified that Rodgers was not dangerous and that the initial bite was defensive. Even the mailman vouched for him.
“We had a list of witnesses who said Rodgers is a big dog but a good boy,” Hardwick said. “He’s not really capable of the bite they were talking about.” They argued that the second bite was a case of mistaken identity involving another large dog nearby.
After the judge sentenced Rodgers to be euthanized in thirty days, Belenkiy rushed to write an appeal for a higher court.
“This case was a significant part of my last semester at Cornell,” Belenkiy said. “The appeal was probably the last written assignment I submitted.”
While Rodgers was in custody, the 120-pound dog was transferred to a shelter in Elmira, New York, about forty miles away. Chan traveled by bus daily to spend time with him.
Wanting to relocate, Chan worked with Michaela Rossettie Azemi, Cornell Law’s former director of pro bono services and externships, to change her housing voucher and find an apartment in Elmira.
Both the move and the appeal were successful. Rodgers could go home with Chan if he received additional training, wore a muzzle in public, and was neutered and insured.
“This program and Jimmy have really made my life a lot better,” Chan said.
Now Hardwick and Ali are seeking a dog trainer and veterinary care for Rodgers. They’ve also applied to the Department of Veterans Affairs to upgrade Chan’s disability status to increase her compensation.
“Clients who are veterans and facing poverty have fewer resources than others,” Belenkiy said. “You’re an attorney first and foremost, but you also have to approach the case as a social worker, coordinating services from various nonprofits and agencies.”
Ali, a U.S. Air Force veteran, said his military experience helps him understand veterans’ benefits, though he regularly learns of new ones.
“I’d like to think I was treated well when I got out, but that’s not the case for everyone,” Ali said. Through the Veterans Law Practicum, he ensures veterans receive their entitled benefits.
“I’m helping those who came before me,” Ali said. “As a first-generation American and the first in my family to serve in the military and attend law school, all of this is possible because of others’ sacrifices.”
The case provided Belenkiy and Ali experience working on an atypical claim, allowing them to take a case from investigation to trial and appeal in one semester.
“Your ability to go into the courtroom, write motions, and put together appeals can support people who really need help,” Belenkiy said, “and that’s what the veterans clinic did here.”
After nine months in a shelter, Rodgers returned home in time to celebrate his fourth birthday, born on Veterans Day 2020.
“It’s better than winning the lottery,” Chan said. “It’s so nice in the evenings just relaxing with him on my lap.”
