Battle Over Starved Pit Bull Found in Trash Heads to Court

A New Jersey judge is scheduled to hear arguments in a custody battle over a 1-year-old pit bull found starving in a Newark trash chute.

The dog, named Patrick because he was found the day before St. Patrick's Day, has been recuperating at an animal hospital in Tinton Falls.     

Patrick's plight has received worldwide attention. He is now at the center of a dispute between the animal hospital and Associated Humane Societies, the organization that initially discovered him.     

The humane society wants to take Patrick to a zoo where it houses other neglected and abused animals. The hospital wants to keep him until he's ready for adoption, which officials have said could happen as soon as July.     

A Newark woman has been charged with abandoning the dog.     

The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday.