6-02-06
BREAKING!!!! Just got an email advising me Knuckles is OUT! She's at home now (at Tiffany's father's house in Fairfield, as of approximately 5:30 p.m. this evening), thoroughly enjoying her new-found freedom and catching up on all the hugs and kisses she sorely missed during her 77 days of incarceration at the Solano County Animal Shelter.
WELCOME HOME, KNUCKLES!!!!
------------------------------------------------------------------
YOLO COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL STONEWALLS KNUCKLES' RELEASE
5-30-06:
After exhausting all efforts and wasting precious time, Tiffany has been forced to move, once again, from her current home in Yolo County. The Solano Superior Court order dated 05-17-06 required that Knuckles' court-ordered kennel be inspected and approved by Yolo County Animal Control, the agency which serves Woodland, CA, the city of Knuckles' intended new home.
On Saturday, May 20th, a Yolo County animal control officer inspected the kennel at Tiffany's Woodland address and recommended some minor changes. The officer said they'd be back the next day (Sunday, May 21st) to give a final inspection. Tiffany waited all day Sunday for the officer. He never showed. On Monday morning, Tiffany called the A.C. office and was advised the officers were off on Sundays and Mondays and that Tiffany would have to call back on Tuesday. On Tuesday, Tiffany again called and, eventually, the same A.C. officer, along with their supervisor, showed up. The supervisor began making new recommendations, including a complaint that the kennel was now suddenly too small. (The size had not been an issue on Saturday, May 20th, when it was first inspected.). Tiffany asked the A.C. supervisor how big the kennel needed to be; he wouldn't give her a precise answer or specific dimensions, just that it was too small. Then this supervisor dropped another bombshell: Before he'd approve the kennel, he first needed a signed letter from the rental property's management company granting Tiffany permission to keep a "dangerous dog" on the premises and their acceptance of the added liability of allowing a "dangerous dog" on their property.
Regarding the kennel being "too small": It's absolutely outrageous for the Yolo County A.C. officer to tell Tiffany the kennel was too small and yet not provide her with the dimensions of which he would approve. It should also be noted that, at 5 ft. x 4.5 ft, the kennel in question is larger in area than the Solano County Shelter's kennel which has been Knuckles' home now for over two months.
Regarding the letter from the rental property management company: With the recent BSL (breed specific legislation) passed in California (thanks to CA Senator, Jackie Speier), it is becoming increasingly impossible for California renters to find a landlord or property management company that will allow breeds which are BSL-targeted (namely, Pitties, Staffies and Rotties). To find a rental property that accepts one of these breeds is a monumental achievement; to find one which accepts a "dangerous animal" is next to impossible. Once again, it should be emphasized that Knuckles has never once bitten or harmed any person or animal, so to classify her as "dangerous" is, arguably, unfair. Yes, she has gotten loose two times in four years--acts which would fairly earn her the label of "public nuisance" perhaps, but not one of "dangerous animal." What landlord or management company would agree to accept added liability for an animal which has been labeled as "dangerous"?
It should also be emphasized that Tiffany has secured the special $100,000 canine liability insurance mandated by the court. This insurance is above and beyond the standard property insurance routinely carried by landlords and property management companies. So for Tiffany to have to tell the management company that they are responsible for added liability is also arguably unfair. Furthermore, nowhere in the court order is there stated any requirement for a letter from her management company accepting added liability. The court order clearly states that it is Tiffany, and Tiffany alone, who must carry the canine liability insurance.
On Wednesday morning, May 24th, Tiffany received a call from Captain Harnois of Solano County Humane Animal Services, asking her why she had not yet picked up Knuckles' from the Solano County animal shelter. Tiffany explained that Yolo County refused to approve the court-ordered kennel until they received the letter of liability from her property management company. Harnois said he needed no such letter--just Yolo County's approval of the kennel itself. Tiffany called Yolo County's Animal Control office and left messages regarding Harnois' statement, but Yolo County did not return her phone calls. I myself called Yolo County A.C. later that same day and managed to speak "live" to Sgt. Buckley. I set up an appointment for Tiffany and myself to meet with him at 10:00 a.m. the following morning (Thursday, May 25th).
I made the two-hour drive up to Woodland and Tiffany and I met at the Yolo County Animal Shelter at precisely 10:00 a.m. We were kept waiting in the lobby for nearly thirty minutes past our appointed time. Finally, we were led--not into Sgt. Buckley's office--but into that of his superior, Vicki Fletcher, chief animal services officer. Sgt. Buckley sat in on the meeting.
The meeting lasted an hour. The first issue to be addressed was that of the kennel size. Tiffany produced several photos of the kennel, showing it from all different angles, as well as photos of the surrounding yard and fencing. We mentioned how the kennel was larger in area than that which she is now housed in at the Solano County Animal Shelter, as well as the fact that Knuckles, as an indoor dog, would be spending very little time in this kennel. After much hem-hawing by Ms. Fletcher, she finally agreed the kennel's size was adequate, but that she needed to know the length of the screws which were used to join the kennel's four corners. Tiffany agreed to measure them and call her with the dimensions later that day. (It's interesting to note that neither of the two A.C. officers who inspected Knuckles' kennel on two separate occasions ever bothered to measure the corner screws themselves.)
Ms. Fletcher then brought up the issue of liability insurance. Tiffany produced the documents from Farmer's Insurance as proof of having secured the insurance. Ms. Fletcher spent several minutes reading over the fine print of the policy before complaining that there was no mention of Farmer's terms of cancellation notice in the policy. Tiffany called the insurance agent and he agreed to fax Ms. Fletcher a statement of their cancellation terms within the next few minutes.
Finally, Ms. Fletcher raised the issue of the letter from the property management company. I pointed out that there was nothing in the Solano County Superior Court order which required said letter. Ms. Fletcher said, in effect, "The order states that a Woodland Animal Control officer must approve the kennel;" thus, according to her interpretation, it's up to the city of Woodland to determine what's required and what's not. I pulled out the city of Woodland's city codes relating to "vicious and dangerous" dogs and asked her to show me, where in the codes, such a letter is required. Then she said it didn't matter what was in the city code because it was the county, not the city, that provided animal services for Woodland. So I pulled out the Yolo County codes relating to "dangerous animals" and asked her, where in these codes, does it require said letter. Ms. Fletcher brushed the codes away, stating that it's the county's attorney who has "always" required said letter and that such a requirement is a "standard operation procedure" for animal control agencies. I pointed out that Solano County had no such requirement. Flustered, she shook her head and said it didn't matter what other counties do; that Yolo County's attorney requires this letter because they, the county, could be sued should they approve the release of a "dangerous dog" and that dog ends up biting someone. I tried to ask Ms. Fletcher how a letter from a property management company would prevent someone from suing the county if they were so inclined, but Ms. Fletcher sharply cut me off, stating she refused to discuss the matter any further.
Tiffany and I remarked that the requirement of such a letter is effectively setting an impossible barrier to bringing Knuckles home, as no landlord or property manager would ever agree to such a request. Beyond this, we asked, why should a landlord have to accept an added liability when it is Tiffany who has been ordered to carry the canine liability insurance? Ms. Fletcher then began denigrating renters, suggesting that they are less-than-responsible dog owners than are home owners--she babbled on and on how renters rarely bother to "fight" for their dogs like home owners do, and how renters just get rid of the dogs instead. I tried to offer Ms. Fletcher a reason why this might be so--i.e., due to her agency's requirement of a letter of liability which no landlord or property manager would agree to--but again she cut me off.
When Ms. Fletcher finally finished bashing renters, I asked if she has ever had a landlord or property manager agree to such a letter. "Oh, yes!" she exclaimed. I asked how many. She indicated there had been two in just the last year alone ... and that there had been many others before that. I asked her for a list of those landlords and property managers so that Tiffany could perhaps contact them, in the event her current property manager refused. After digging through her files for quite a long time, she produced only one property management company. In all those years' worth of files, she could find just one management company who agreed to allow a "dangerous animal" on their premises.
At this point, Tiffany and I accepted that Yolo County was doing everything in their power to prevent Knuckles from re-homing in Woodland. We excused ourselves and closed the meeting. Tiffany spent the next two days going back and forth with her current management company regarding the letter of accepted added liability. Ultimately, and as was expected, her management company refused to accept the added liability and, hence, Knuckles. So now Tiffany must--once again--find a new home for herself and Knuckles.
So the latest word is this: Knuckles is still in the Solano County Animal Shelter. Today (Tuesday, May 30th) marks Knuckles 74th day of impoundment.
Tiffany is looking to move herself and Knuckles to a temporary home--a relative's--until she can find a permanent rental home that will accept Knuckles. She contacted Captain Harnois about this change in plans and he advised her she just needs a letter from her relative stating that she, Tiffany, is living on the premises along with Knuckles. Now the court-ordered kennel which was constructed at the Woodland, CA address must be disassembled and moved to the new (temporary) home so that a Solano County animal control officer can approve its design and specifications. Tiffany must now also write new letters of notification to the new city and county of her temporary residence, as well as to the utility company and post office which serve her new temporary address.
So, once again, stay tuned. We do still plan to post photos of Knuckles' homecoming as soon as Knuckles is released. We HOPE for Knuckles' sake that this will be within the next few days.
Lastly, our apologies to everyone who has been so anxiously awaiting the news and photos of Knuckles' release. We kept putting off updating this site because we had initially thought it was just a matter of crossing our T's and dotting our I's before Knuckles would be going to her new home in Woodland. But after our meeting with the Yolo County officials, it's become clear they have other intentions. We deeply regret having to report to you the details of this long delay in Knuckles' release, causing her to suffer unnecessary physical and psychological distress, due soley to Yolo County's foot-dragging and ultimate refusal to approve Knuckles' release into a safe, healthy and loving environment.
While we have washed our hands, for now, of Yolo County, the fight is not yet over. Tiffany is determined to see that the Solano County Superior Court order is respected and fulfilled; she is undeterred in her efforts to get Knuckles safely home (wherever "home" might be) where Knuckles legally and morally belongs. So, once again, stay tuned...
