Please check outKnuckles' homepagefor the latest news on Knuckles' release.
5-18-06
The Fairfield Daily Republic newspaper today published an opinion piece on Knuckles, written by Kelvin Wade, a Fairfield writer. Here's an excerpt:
Knuckles shouldn’t die. In the final analysis, he didn’t bite. He didn’t maul. He shouldn’t be sacrificed just because the public fears pit bulls. Perhaps a compromise solution can be reached that would send Knuckles out of the county, which as I understand it can be done with the written approval of the Solano County animal control director.
Note: "the Solano County animal control director" Kelvin Wade mentions would be Captain Marcel Harnois.
On Tuesday, May 16th, Captain Harnois (finally) called Tiffany and offered to let her visit Knuckles. The next morning, Tiffany, accompanied by a some friends and family, went to the Solano County Animal Shelter to visit with Knuckles. It was the first time in sixty days--two months--that Tiffany has seen Knuckles.
Tiffany was allowed to remove Knuckles from her cage and walk her in a grassy area of the shelter. Harnois, along with two or three other H.A.S. (Humane Animal Services) officers, stood in attendence during the entire twenty minutes of Tiffany's visit with Knuckles. Tiffany reported that Knuckles has lost a lot of weight, has scabs on her tail and her face, dried fecal matter matted in her fur, and her claws are worn to the quick from pacing in her cage. Tiffany's brother took photos of the visit with his cell phone and we are hoping to post them on this website in the very near future.
At the end of the visit, Harnois told Tiffany he did not know what Judge Harrison's decision would be; however, should Judge Harrison uphold Knuckles' destroy order, he promised to let Tiffany visit Knuckles again before Knuckles is euthanized.
Tiffany extends her sincerest thanks to everyone who faxed Captain Harnois asking him to let her visit Knuckles. Your faxes, calls, emails, letters and prayers have made all the difference for both Knuckles and Tiffany!
5-18-06
On May 12, the day of Knuckes' trial, an insider of the Solano County Animal Shelter had reported seeing a CHP officer taking Knuckles from her cage and walking her about the shelter facilities. The insider further reported this officer was overheard to say, "There's not a mean bone in her body."
We put out feelers to try to confirm this report and subsequently received a communication from a second insider who reported the following:
On May 11th, the day before Knuckles' trial, Officer Mendez and Captain Harnois visited the Solano County Animal Shelter for the purpose of evaluating Knuckles. They walked Knuckles about the facility and Harnois put Knuckles through a series of tests intended to elicit aggression. After about 45 minutes of evaluating Knuckles, Mendez and Harnois were overheard admitting that Knuckles exhibited no signs of aggression and that, in fact, she was "well behaved." Mendez and Harnois indicated they were going to testify to their findings on Knuckles' behalf in her trial the next day. Harnois was also overheard telling shelter staff that Tiffany has never requested to visit Knuckles or have her evaluated.
(Note: We have refrained from publicly identifying these insiders as they have expressed fears of reprisal from shelter authorities and/or the Solano County Humane Animal Services for speaking candidly to Knuckles' supporters.)
Fact: Neither Mendez nor Harnois testified on Knuckles' behalf, contrary to their claims to do so. Moreover, they each intentionally ommitted from their testimony any mention of their May 11th visit with Knuckles and the findings of their evaluation. If this had been a criminal trial, the withholding of such exculpatory evidence--evidence which clears one from alleged fault or guilt--would be cause for dismissal of charges. The fact that this was a civil trial and not a criminal trial holds little meaning for Knuckles, whose life hangs in the balance. Indeed, for Knuckles, this matter is no less than a capital case and the evidence withheld therein by Captain Harnois and Officer Mendez constitutes a serious breech of faith.
Regarding Captain Harnois' claim that Ms. McPherson has never, in the sixty days of Knuckles’ impoundment, requested to visit her dog or have her evaluated, the administrators of this website know that this is categorically untrue. This website includes a request for supporters to fax Harnois to urge him to allow Tiffany to visit Knuckles; we set this up at Tiffany's request as her many pleas to Sgt. Mike Rowe of the Suisun City PD and to the Solano County Humane Animal Services have all been either denied or ignored. We know for a fact that many of Knuckles supporters have faxed Harnois with said urgings yet, in all the weeks leading up to Harnois' statement, never once has he attempted to contact Ms. McPherson to respond to these faxes or to offer her an opportunity to visit her dog. We also were informed that Tiffany’s attorney, when serving the copy of the stay of destruction to Sgt. Mike Rowe of the Suisun City Police Department on April 20th, specifically requested to have Knuckles independently evaluated. Yet, to date, no such request has been fulfilled by the Suisun City PD or the Solano County Humane Animal Services.
To conclude, we hold a high degree of confidence in these allegations of evidence withholding, as not one--but two-- independent sources have come forward.
5-12-06
The trial is over but the judge has yet to render his decision. According to those who attended, none of Tiffany's witnesses (including her father) were allowed in the court, nor were they called to testify; only witness for Suisun City were called to testify, including Officer Mendez (who refuses to let Tiffany or anyone else visit Knuckles) and Captain Marcel Harnois, director of Solano County Humane Animal Services.
If you've been reading this website, you'll know that Capt. Harnois, along with his business partner, Matt Boyd, breeds American Bulldogs, touting those with "high drive" (i.e., strong aggression) and which excel in, among other activities, "hog-catching" -- a cruel and barbaric bloodsport which is illegal in several states and has been condemned by the AKC, NKC, HSUS, and ASPCA. As Harnois is the authority who has labeled Knuckles as "fear aggressive," we felt it important to alert Judge Harrison about Harnois' questionable character and credibility, by way of a fax. Judge Harrison raised the issue of the fax during the court hearing today but then declared the information "irrelevant." We beg to differ.
Judge Harrison
has taken the evidence and testimonies of this case under submission. He is expected to issue his ruling within a week's time. Please, everyone, Knuckles' desperately needs your help in urging Judge Harrison to spare her life. Faxes of support for Knuckles' can be directed to:
The Honorable
Judge William C. Harrison
Fax #: (707) 435-2573
Please make your faxes short, concise, polite, relevant and respectful. Thank you, everyone, for your help!
5-12-06
On 5-09-06 we reported on Captain Marcel Harnois' partnership with Matt Boyd in breeding American Bulldogs which, according to their website, have "excelled in ... hog-catching" Hog-catching is a cruel bloodsportwhich is illegal in several states and which has been the focus of numerous criminal raids by state and federal law enforcement agencies (HSUS reference link: Hog-dog fighting: Bloodsport Packaged as Family Entertainment)
Sometime between last night and this morning, Captain Harnois had his name and dog's photo removed from the Boyd's American Bulldogs site. However, for posterity, we have PDF'd both the above webpage as well as the homepage which still states the availablity of "high-drive" (read: aggressive) pups and the reference to pups which have excelled in hog-catching. The files can be downloaded and viewed by clicking on the links below:
We've received the following two reports on Knuckles from an "insider" at the Solano County Animal Shelter:
1) On Saturday, May 6th, Knuckles, so desperate to get out of the cage she's been trapped in for almost two months, tried to eat her way through the wire cyclone fencing of her cage. According to our source, Knuckles' nose became stuck in the fencing and she had to be cut loose with wire cutters. We're told that, though traumatic for Knuckles, she wasn't hurt in the ordeal.
2) Earlier this week, a CHP (California Highway Patrol) officer is reported to have removed Knuckles from her cage and taken her for a walk (the first exercise Knuckles has had in nearly two months!). After the walk, the CHP officer is reported to have said,"There's not a mean bone in this dog!"
5-09-06
The Hypocrisy of Captain Harnois. During the director of Bad Rap's conversation (see entry, below) with Captain Marcel Harnois, the director of Solano County Humane Animal Services, he also informed Bad Rap that Knuckles was not suitable for release to Tiffany for, in his estimation, she is an irresponsible guardian; Harnois added that Knuckles is unsuitable for adoption or re-homing, as Knuckles is "fear agressive." Like our requests to Capt. Harnois for confirmation of the other allegations, a similar request we sent to him asking when and who it was that evaluated Knuckles has been ignored.
Frustrated by Capt. Harnois' complete lack of accountability to the public, we decided to "google" his name. Weren't we surprised by what we found! Suffice it to say, we found that Capt. Harnois has little room to criticize the guardianship of Tiffany or anyone else, considering his "hobby" of breeding American Bulldogs for, among other purposes, "hog catching,' a popular bloodsport which has been declared inhumane by the AKC, NKC, the HSUS, and the ASPCA, and which has been outlawed in several states (FL, LA, AL, and MS). Read what the NKC has to say about the "sport" of hog catching and "hog dogs" such as those bred by Captain Harnois:
Captain Harnois' American Bulldog, NorCal's Malo, stands stud for Boyd's American Bulldogs. The homepageof this website states the following:
"Our puppies have excelled in Schutzhund, BST, Irondog, weight-pull, hardest-hitting, hog-catching, the conformation show ring, and as family pets and protectors."
Capt. Harnois' dog's photo is featured on this website, found at the following link:
Scroll down to the bottom of the above webpage--the photos of NorCal's Malo are the last two pictured. The photo on the left carries the accompanying caption:
"NorCal's Malo ... at stud by Marcel Harnois (707) 439-0972, Fairfield, CA "
If you're thinking that Captain Harnois' dog, NorCal's Malo, looks more like a pit bull than does Knuckles, you're right. All American Bulldogs have some Pit Bull Terrier in their ancestry. They are not the lovable, wide-bodied dogs most people think of when they hear the term "bulldog," the type recognized by the AKC (American Bulldogs are not recognized by the AKC).
It is also interesting to note that the Boyd's American Bulldogs website also touts the following: Medium to high-drive pups often available, $1000 - $1500...
"High-drive" is also a term you'll hear among "dog men" and in dog fighting circles. "High-drive" means much the same as "game" or "game dog," terms used by dog fighters to describe the tenacity which makes for the best fighting pit bulls. Matt Boyd, the owner of Boyd's American Bulldogs and Captain Harnois' business partner, in this interview, refers to his breeding operation as his "yard," another term most often associated with breeders of fighting dogs. In the interview, he also has this to say about American Bulldogs:
The greatest challenge for breeders of AB's is finding appropriate homes for their puppies, especially the high-drive or very dominant pups. Mistakes in this area will result in an increasing number of AB aggression incidents, and I believe, will eventually lead to the breed being black-balled by the media in a growing number of localities.
Yet in spite of his own warning about "high-drive pups" and the difficulty in finding suitable homes for them, Matt Boyd touts their availability on his website and asks a premium price for them. Does this not meet the definition of irresponsible guardianship and breeding? And yet this is who Captain Harnois has chosen as a business partner in his breeding of American Bulldogs. If ever there was a case of "guilt by association," I'd say this most definitely qualifies.
And yet Captain Harnois has the audacity to pass judgement on Tiffany McPherson's guardianship and personal life? And this is the man who's been entrusted to direct the Solano County Humane Animal Services? I urge Knuckles' supporters to contact the Solano County Board of Supervisors and demand Harnois' termination. He is clearly not suitable for the position of Director of Solano County Humane Animal Services. The names, addresses, phone/fax numbers, and email addresses for the Board members can be found here:
Captain Marcel Harnois, director of Solano County Humane Animal Services, has released some highly inflammatory and intentionally misleading allegations about Tiffany McPherson, Knuckles' mom, to Donna Reynolds, director of Bad Rap, a San Francisco Bay Area pit bull rescue organization. We are all too unhappy to report that Donna Reynolds, who had contacted Capt. Harnois without Tiffany's knowledge or consent and thus had no legal privilege to such disclosure, has been spreading these allegations around the Internet and through targeted emails. It is even more disturbing that, before deciding to spread these defamatory allegations, Ms. Reynolds never once bothered to contact either Tiffany or her attorney to give them the opportunity to comment or offer rebuttal. Not surprisingly, our requests to Capt. Harnois to confirm and support his allegations have been entirely ignored, leaving us to conclude that he is unable and/or unwilling to stand behind these malicious allegations.
In my past life, I spent several years in the employ of a major metropolitan police department and was partnered with a law enforcement officer for over a decade. Through my first-hand experience, I'm well acquainted with the defensive strategies typically deployed when a police agency or law enforcement entity becomes the focal point of public scrutiny and criticism. The most common response by law enforcement is to deflect the negative attention away from themselves and onto the citizen who is doing the criticizing. Standard ops dictate the releasing or leaking of rumors and/or intentionally misleading information about the citizen's personal life. In lay terms, this is what is called a 'smear campaign' and this is precisely what I suspect Capt. Harnois, with the aid of Bad Rap's Donna Reynolds, to be the perpetrator of.
5-09-06
Last Thursday, May 4th, Tiffany and Knuckles' attorney submitted a stipulated proposal for Knuckles' release to the City of Suisun's City Attorney, Tricia Hynes. The attorney had requested Ms. Hynes respond before the weekend; however, Ms. Hynes deferred, stating she had to discuss the proposal first with Suisun's City Manager, Suzanne Bragdon, who was due back in her office on Monday, May 8th. As of today, May 9th, neither Ms. Bragdon or Ms. Hynes have responded to the proposal. It is now apparent that city attorney Tricial Hynes and city manager Suzanne Bragdon are not open to negotiation and that they are forcing Knuckles' and her many supporters to wait it out until the trial, scheduled for Friday, May 12, 2006. Let us all hope and pray that Judge Harrison of the Solano County Superior Court has more compassion than Suisun City's appointed and elected leaders.
The cover leter and the proposal which the attorney submitted are available for viewing (both require Adobe Acrobat Reader):
Tiffany has found a new home for herself and Knucklesand has in place both the liability insurance and the court-mandated kennel. All she is missing is Knuckles.
Today marks Knuckles' 53rd day in jailwith no exercise, no companionship, and no visits from her mom or family.
5-02-06
Knuckles will need a new homewhen she's released. If anyone knows of a house or apartment rental in Yolo County which accepts Pit Bulls, please contact Tiffany as soon as possible. Click HERE for more details.
5-02-06
VIDEO of the FOX 40 News storywhich aired Thursday night, 04-27-06, is now available for downloading. Windows Media Player or QuickTime are required. Click HEREto watch the video.
5-02-06
The FREE KNUCKLES rallyon Saturday was a big success. Between 30-40 supporters were on hand with signs and flyers to pass out to passersby. There were plenty of honks and 'thumbs up' in support of Knuckles by passing motorists, as well. A FOX 40 News reporter and camera crew stopped by for a second interview with Tiffany which aired on the Saturday 10:00 p.m. newscast. Thanks to everyone who participated for all your support and efforts! Click here for rally PHOTOS.
4-28-06
FOX 40 NEWS to film Knuckles' Rally! Yesterday, FOX 40 News informed Tiffany they would be sending a camera crew to the "FREE KNUCKLES" rally, to be held from noon - 2 p.m. in front of the Solano County Animal Shelter in Fairfield, CA.
All you bully breed and dog lovers, this is your chance to show off your fur-kids and at the same time promote to the media and their viewing public a positive image for pit bulls and related breeds. So don't miss this rare opportunity. Join us, if you can! IMPORTANT NOTE TO RALLY PARTICIPANTS:For those of you bringing dogs to the rally, please be aware that this is not a doggie socialization event, and any dogs you bring to the rally should be well socialized and well mannered. We also ask that you maintain proper canine etiquette at all times while at the rally. It would do more harm than good to have the cameras pick up two dogs getting into even a minor tiff. All it takes is one growl or snap or snarl to get caught and aired by the cameras. So please keep your dogs on leashes no longer than 6 feet in length and avoid allowing your dog or dogs to get too close to other dogs in attendance which are unfamiliar to your own.
4-27-06
Breaking!FOX 40 News (Sacramento) is to air a story on Knuckles. They are scheduled to interview Tiffany tonight at 7:00 p.m. Anyone who receives FOX 40, please watch and let us know your impressions of the coverage. If the story makes their website, I will post a link to it here on this web page. Stay tuned!! Thank you everyone for doing such a fantastic job in alerting the media. Tiffany and Knuckles are forever in your debt. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
4-27-06
New Hearing Set for Knuckles!The Solano County Superior Court has granted Knuckles a new hearing! The new trial's date and time are May 12, 2006 at 9:00 a.m. However, Tiffany's attorney is working to negotiate Knuckles' release with the Suisun City city manager, Suzanne Bragdon, to avoid the time and cost involved with going to trial. This would certainly be in the best interest of everyone, including the elected and appointed leaders of Suisun City. The Suisun City city manager's contact information has been added to the Call or Write to Knucklespage. Please include the city manager in all of your emails, faxes, and phone calls.
4-27-06
News Article Published:The Fairfield Daily Republic printed Knuckles' story today. Overall, I think the reporter, Ian Thompson, painted a fair picture of the situation; however, he did leave out a some important facts, namely:
Why has the Suisun City police or the Solano County Humane Animal Services refused to allow an independent dog behavior specialist to evaluate Knuckles for temperament and aggression?
Why is the Humane Animal Services (specifically, Officer Mendez) denying Tiffany the right to visit Knuckles?
In addition, I think the reporter could have better stressed the most obvious fact: That Knuckles had two opportunities to bite, attack, or harm someone, yet she DID NOT. If she were truly dangerous, as the Suisun City police have alleged, she would have struck, bitten or attacked when presented with the opportunity -- yet, she did not.
Understandably, Knuckles frightened the people she chased, but this is obviously a case of a dog that is "more bark than bite." Such behavior can be readily corrected through proper training for Tiffany, her guardian, and rehabilitation for Knuckles. (Obviously this reporter, as well as Sgt. Rowe of the Suisun City police, has never watched Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer TV show !)
That the Suisun City police are insisting on killing a dog which has no history of biting and without having had the dog properly evaluated by a dog behavior specialist...well, this is quite disturbing, quite disturbing, indeed. Guardians of all breeds of dog should be outraged. If this can happen to Knuckles, it can happen to your dog, too.
Because the article seems to no longer be found on the Farfield Daily Republic's website, we have posted the article here, on the SAVE KNUCKLES website. To read the article click on the link is below.
Rally Signs for downloading: 8.5"x11" signs for the Saturday's FREE KNUCKLES RALLY are available to download. All signs are in black & white and landscape orientation. If desired, signs can be enlarged using a copier or at a Kinkos or a similar copy service provider. Files are in PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat to open & save. If you don't have Acrobat Reader, you can download the applicationHERE for free.
News article to be published tomorrow, April 27th. The Fairfield Daily Republic reporter who is writing an article on Knuckles informed me today the article's printing will be delayed a day. At press time today, the reporter was still waiting for the Suisun City PD to respond to his phone call. The reporter did not provide Tiffany with an advance copy of the article, so it is anybody's guess whether the article will be positive or negative. Unfortunately, the press has a nasty habit of vilifying Pit Bulls for the sake of sensationalism. Let's hope this reporter will be a bit more fair and unbiased in his reporting. I will update this page as soon as the story hits the stands tomorrow. Stay tuned!
4-25-06
New Twist - Today Tiffany spoke with Sgt. Mike Rowe who advised her Knuckles' case has been turned over the Suisun City Attorney; hence, Knuckles' fate is now beyond Sgt. Rowe's scope of authority.So it's now up to us to re-direct those emails, letters, faxes and phone calls to the Suisun City City Attorney, Sky Woodruff.Please click HERE for Sky's contact information. I strongly suggest you also copy everything you send to the City Attorney for our SAVE KNUCKLES campaign to the Suisun City Mayor and City Council . Click HERE for their contact info.
4-25-06
News article update: Yesterday I reported that the Fairfield Daily Republic (local newspaper) is going to feature a story on Knuckles. The story, I'm told, will run tomorrow, Wednesday, April 26, 2006. Check back tomorrow for more info on the article, after it's been published.
04-24-06
BIG DEVELOPMENT: Sgt. Mike Rowe, the Dangerous Animal Hearing Officer who ordered Knuckles destroyed, has opened discussions with Tiffany's attorney about a possible release for Knuckles -- without the need of a new hearing! These discussions are only in their infancy and Tiffany's attorney must first research some legal issues in order to meet specific requirements the Suisun City P.D. have stipulated. So, while Knuckles is far from "home free," there is a glimmer of sunshine lighting her way. I will post updates on this most recent development as soon as they arise.
This latest news is all because of you, the cyberspace dog-loving community, who have rallied so extraordinarily in Knuckles' defense. Here's a quote from Tiffany's attorney, regarding his discussion with Sgt. Rowe:
"Your website is working because he [Sgt. Rowe] mentioned that they are getting alot of emails in support of you."
Way to go, everyone! But don't stop now. As I said, Knuckles is far from home free just yet. Sgt. Rowe thew out a pretty big "IF" to Tiffany's attorney, and it still remains to be seen if the attorney can fulfill that challenge. So keep calling, writing, emailing, and spreading the word until Knuckles is actually released from her jail and free to go home. But go ahead and slap yourselves on the back for doing such a fantabulous job of bringing Knuckles' story into full view. As the attorney said, "Keep doing what you're doing because it's working!"
Thanks everyone! You guys rock!
4-24-06
Exciting news!A reporter with the Fairfield Daily Republic has contacted Tiffany for an interview for a story he's writing about Knuckles. Apparently his paper's been getting the emails, calls and letters all of you wonderful animal lovers have been busy at work sending! This could potentially rouse the entire community into action. Stay tuned for more developments!
04-23-06
The time, place and date for the FREE KNUCKLES RALLY have been finalized (Please note the time change):
Place:
Solano County Animal Shelter 2510 Clay Bank Road (Click here for directions) Fairfield, CA 94533 (707) 421-7486 dd
Date:
Saturday, April 29, 2006 dd
Time:
12:00 noon - 2:00 p.m.
"Free Knuckles" signs and flyers for posting will be available in PDF format on this website tomorrow.
04-22-06
A"FREE KNUCKLES" RALLY is planned for this comingSaturday, April 29th. The rally will be from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. in front of the shelter where Knuckles is being held. Tomorrow I will post links to pre-made "FREE KNUCKLES" signs in PDF format, available for downloading and and printing, as well as a map and directions to the Solano County Animal Shelter, located in Fairfield, CA.
This rally is intended to be a peaceful and orderly show of support for Knuckles' release. Knuckles' mom, Tiffany McPherson, will be in attendance along with a number of her friends and supporters. If you live in the Northern California area and have the time, please join us. Bring the kids and the dogs and help us rally for Knuckles' freedom. For convenience, you can download and print the "Free Knuckles" sign (available on this website tomorrow, April 23rd) -- or feel free to create your own. (If you decide to create your own signs, please keep the messages G-rated, as there could be children present.)
On Monday, I'll check into any permit requirements which might apply. I'll also be sending out press releases to the local newspapers as the date nears. Hopefully we can draw the interest of the local media and, with their *help,* make Knuckles' story a community-wide issue.
So check back tomorrow for the signs, maps, and directions. Hope to see everyone there!
