animal control officer problem - Page 4

Good luck, DavC.

Animal control people have a job to do, but too many times they get mixed up with the AR agenda, and they don't have a clue what they're dealing with.  When I was little, we had a neighbor that was always calling them on us...Never a valid reason, just a complaint that led to a visit, that led to laughs and shakes of the head.  After about the fifth call, they quit responding.

Crys

Have your roommate video the "officer" when she comes back.  Let her know that she is being video taped (or not) which ever you think is best.  If she knows that camera is on her she may back down and be calm.  Sometimes it's best to have the hidden camera so you can catch her being herself.
Deb

Here is the latest on my situation.  My court date was on January 8th.  On January 7th i came in from my shift at work. My roommate advised me that she had filled my dogs water bucket up 4 or 5 times that morning he kept knocking it over.  At about 4 that afternnon I efilled his bucket once more and went to Wal Mart to run some errands. On arrival to my house the dog cathcer and her boyfriend ( local city officer) was pulling up in front of my house, My dog had once again knocked his bucket over, She then advised that was abuse . I replied and said he had water an hour ago when I left and I was taking him in for the night.  The next day in court my hearing was postponed for 2 weeks.  Later that day I was out of town visiting my Mom when they came over to my house again wanting to talk with me.  When I arrived back in town I stopped at the police station when the officer told me he was putting me under arrest for 3 counts of abuse and 2 counts of neglect.  I was held for 24 hours no charges filed and released.  I was home app 15 minutes when they again showed up at my door with 2 other officers saying they had a report of me beating my dog.  I then showed them every dog I had which included  avery pregnant female my male and 2  two month old puppies.  They said nothing and seemed satisfied with their condition.  The other officer said they looked fine to him.  At this time I made the decision to remove my adult dogs from the house since they seemed concerned about them.  I did this on the next day which was Sunday. When I arrived back home they had seized my 2 puppies on a search warrant. this was on the 10th of January.This was at ten at night when I got back home at 1130 they went to my moms house in a different county without a search warrant and wanted to come in to her house. I had a court date 2 weeks later which was again postponed till March 9th.  I was told they had 30 days to rule on my puppies which has come and passed.  Also they did not take my room mates sons dog which is half weine dog and half chihuahua. So they are several things that are not adding up with these 2 people.  At this time I am just playing the waiting game till I go to court again.

Davc,

Do you have any current photos of your bitch and her new pups?  Can you post them, 50 lbs seems to be very small to me, I have a bitch that weighs in at 65 lbs, and she is tiny...  Not that I am saying that you are at fault, but photos would certainly prove that your female is in good weight...

Not that you have anything to prove to us, but honestly, I don't know you or know how you tend to your dogs...  50 lbs just seems small for a shepherd to me, this is a shepherd right?  How many pups did your girl have?  Just curious... 

 You have really got to pump the calories to them when they are nursing I feed nursing mother super high calorie meals 4 times per day

The thing with the water bucket falling over ...go to store buy a bungee cord and wrap it around the bucket and back to the chainlink it should not be knocked over.I have a 5 gal. bucket and my male likes to stick his feet in it .It still stays secure.

Sorry... I truely feel there is a part of this story missing. Either there has been other complaints (besides the dead dog), or the ACO is being called all the time by a complaintant (maybe an old "friend" of the dog owners or irrate neighbor who has to listen to the dogs all the time, something). Most ACO's are underpaid, have few hours, and little time to actually harrass someone who doesn't have a case. Are there some who are on their ego trips thinking they are high and mighty, sure, you get some but even that ego tripped officer whether an ACO or Trooper can not just go write a search/seizure warrant. And if the Judge reviewed the ACO's case and found enough evidence to issue a Search & Seize Warrant, things are not "kosher". Judges do NOT give out Warrants easily, especially for dog complaints. There has to be substancial evidence against this person in order for them to do so.

And to those of you who thing ACO's are all PETA members, think again. PETA members think dogs SHOULD NOT be kept as pets and should live naturally. Remember, they have claimed to attent several very large dog shows and released the dogs from their kennels to live off the land and not be held captive. PETA also doesn't believe in spay/neuter as it is trauma to the dog. Do some ACO's belong to local or national "Animal Rights" organizations such as HSUS , etc. Sure, why would they have a dog protecting animals if they didn't want to protect them? Do some go a bit overboard in "Rescue"?  Yes, but again, you have to want to help every animal in your custody or why are you there? But you have to have a mind set that there are some dogs who just can't be rehomed and you have to do what you have to do.

I would compare being an ACO to being a DCF Agent. You continually get complaints about someone and you do what you can within the law but it can't always be handled easily. You may know or suspect an animal/child is being neglected but can't the proof you need to end it. It is frustrating. You may also get complaints against a particular person and you must follow up on it but know it is most likely a goose chase by someone who dislikes the party in question. You as the Officer/Agent MUST go to these people to explain about the complaint which may seem like harrasment to that party when in fact you are just trying to get the facts straight for your case. People are very emotional about their dogs as well as their children and feelings are hurt very easily when it is suggested they are not caring for their dog/child, making people react aggressively. But the Officer may suggest you fix a few small things (dog looks 2 pounds underweight, dog needs water, etc) to avoid my having to come back and charge you for all these "little" things that have now built a case into a "large" thing.

K-9mom

My female was being fed high quality food three times a day and leaving food in the bowl each time.  I also gave a B-12 shot to help stimulate her appetite.  She is now at her normal weight of 50 pounds and yes she is on the smaller side of the standard and very petite. You can defitinely tell she is a female by looking at her.  She had six puppies and I started weaning them at 4 weeks of age.  I will post a picture later today of her.  I have talked with the other officer that was there and he said it didn't like any of the dogs were neglected or abused.  I have also took them training and was told if they had been abused they would not be working for me like they were.  I know there is always 2 sides to the story but their side is full of holes and lies.  There has not been any other charges filed.  I also had an officer tell me that once she gets something in her head she will keep on until she finds something no matter how small.  Also I normally keep my dogs inside the house and water is no problem inside.  My vet has given all my animals a clean bill of health and has no problem with the condition of my dogs.  Yes it is better to err on the side of caution than the other way around. I work as a paramedic and I am mandated by the state to report any suspected child or adult abuse.  And I have no problem with that.  Its when ther is an out right false hood stated is when I have a problem.  The search warrant stated that I had 11 mixed breed dogs inside the house which they knew better sinc e I showed them the night before the 2 adult dogs and the 2 puppies.  So yes they gave the judge false info which will be proven in court.  If any body wants verification of this I can give in a pm numerous witnesses and references on my part. I know that i haven't done anything wrong with the care of my dogs!

K9 Mom,
I kind of agree with you, something just don't fit... 

As for the water buckets, double hooks on the top and a bungee cord at the bottom works great...  as much as my guys try to tip over that 5 gallon bucket of water, the hooks hold it up, I couldn't imagine someone filling up my dogs water buckets every time they knocked them over, you might as well stand out there and just hold the hose...

I would still like to see photos before I give an opinion.  Just being honest, I learned today the hard way with a new dog that not every tells the truth about things...