Robin Gordon

Robin Gordon graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1991. After gaining years of legal experience working in Minnesota, Robin moved to North Dakota where she served as North Dakota’s State Attorney in McHenry County from 1999 to 2010. During that time Robin worked on many animal cases but – most notably a hoarding case in which 18 dogs were removed from deplorable conditions in a trailer in Deering, North Dakota.

In January 2010, Robin was reading the Minot Daily News when she came across an article about the seizure of 18 Corgi-Pomeranian mixes. The owner, who did not live in Deering, had been using the trailer to house the animals. The dogs were left confined to the small space, covered in matted feces, hair, and urine, without food or water. A neighbor was occasionally feeding the dogs scraps, but they were skinny and their water bowl frozen. Based on this information, Robin filed a criminal complaint against the trailer owner and a forfeiture action on the dogs. The trailer owner did not answer, so the dogs were forfeited shortly thereafter to the Souris Valley Humane Society. Robin worked with the Animal Legal Defense Fund who advised her on key elements of the case, enabling authorities to permanently remove the abused dogs from harm's way. Thanks to Robin’s tough prosecution the animal abuser pleaded guilty, and the rescued dogs were adopted into loving forever homes.

Featured in the photo is Robin’s beloved cat, who was rescued by the North Dakota Highway Patrol. She was seized from the backseat of a vehicle where methamphetamine was being cooked. Robin prosecuted her owners, and they were sent to prison. Robin decided to adopt the cat rather than have her euthanized, and she’s now very happy settled in for good with Robin.