Animal Control takes killing lightly


Published on Tuesday, August 25, 2009 10:19 PM PDT

I wanted to share mine and my family’s experience with this valley’s animal control. On Aug.17 I came home from work and thought my 15-year-old cat was getting into a cat fight. I walked outside to find her being tossed around by a huge brown pit bull. I tried to scare the dog away and eventually it let go. My poor suffering cat crawled under my car and slowly died. I immediately called the animal control and the first operated asked me, “Well I don’t know what you want me to do?” They finally sent animal control out even though I didn’t once see them drive down my street. My daughter got home and called once again to see if they had found the dog. They simply said no and that they couldn’t really do anything else. The thing we have trouble understanding is why this matter was taken so lightly. My cat could have been a toddler being walked down the street or even a small dog. We don’t appreciate being treated how we were. Our cat had been in our family for 15 years and now we don’t have her anymore because of a loose dog. Me, my family and our neighbors think that animal control should put a little more effort into helping us out. Don’t we pay their salary?

Nancy Whitaker

Bodfish


Copyright © 2012 Kern Valley Sun

Comments

6 comment(s)

    celia wrote on Sep 1, 2009 11:20 AM:

    " thank you tabbitha. that's exactly the type of responsibility I'm talking about. Just don't give a potentially dangerious dog a chance to harm another animal.Had the owners of the dog that attacked my dog simply kept their dog on a leash and/or off a busy trail, that attack would have been avoided.And I'm sorry about the loss of your cat. That dog should be kept in a yard and/or on a leash. "

    tabbitha wrote on Aug 31, 2009 5:50 PM:

    " I am fortunate to be owned by 3 dogs and 3 cats. All have been vaccinated and spayed or neutered. We have 1 dog who was given to us and we were told he may or may not kill cats. Well, this dog is the most loving dog! However, we have headed the warning and have never given him the opportunity to kill a cat or anything for that matter. It doesn't take much to be responsible. "

    celia wrote on Aug 31, 2009 1:21 PM:

    " I love cats and dogs and it is gut wrenching to loose an animal in such an aweful way. My heart goes out to those who have had that kind of loss. And, yes, we need to make noise and owners need to be responsible. Spay/neuter etc. If your dog has ever been violent, please keep it restrained! My dog(on leash) was attacked and nearly killed by an off leash dog. Turns out the dog had a history of attacking small dogs, two of which I knew. The owners were in denial.Be responsible! "

    KRVer wrote on Aug 29, 2009 8:14 AM:

    " It's well known that this department of the county has been in need of reorganization for a long time. It wasn't long ago that we thought our shelter was going to close....remember? They won't come pick up three feral cats who sit on my porch every morning either and said if I brought them in I'd have to pay them to take them. They are forcing me do something inhumane? Write letters...make noise...nothing changes until something changes! "

    tabbitha wrote on Aug 28, 2009 3:54 PM:

    " I live in Ridgecrest and we had an incident a few years where a Pit Bull was going around killing cats (it killed 2 of mine). My husband knew what the dog looked like and when he saw it walking down our street looking for another victim he called animal control to come pick it up. Well, they told me they couldn't because they were in Lake Isabella that day. Why do we share animal control trucks? It's not like Lake Isabella is as close to Ridgecrest as Oildale is the Bakersfield! "

    Bob Walker wrote on Aug 26, 2009 6:54 PM:

    " Not suprising. I've had them tell me they are just rying to keep peace inthe neighborhood.
    Another things noticed. When I was sub teaching in China lake two years ago, I noticed the animal control trucks either coming here from there, or vice versa, almost every day. The cost in gas and new vehicles needed must be large. What's up with that? Anyone know? It was a couple of hours a day they were not here doing anything likehelping these folks with their cat vs pit bull. "

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