To the Menlo Park City Council Members:
We are neighbors and friends of Tobias and Liliana, and their lovely dog Bär. We are currently out of town and are unable to join the City Council session this evening in person, so please accept our written statement here.
I, Sarah Caplan, and my husband, Russell Fong, live at 242 Donohoe Street, East Palo Alto — just a few blocks from Tobias and Liliana. We have lived there for over 18 years.
When we got our first dog, Pasha, (over 4 years ago) Bär was one of her first puppy friends, and most decidedly her favorite. Pasha came to love Bär like no other dog (we referred to him as her boyfriend), and Bär was always excited to see her too. We had many walks and “doggie play dates” together — around the neighborhood, at the dog park, and at each other’s homes.
Since our dogs are about the same age, we shared tips on dog training and we know first hand that Bär is a perfect example of a disciplined dog. He comes when called, is exceedingly well behaved, is friendly and gentlemanly with other dogs, and is loving and friendly with children and strangers. Due to his handsome looks, he’s somewhat of a susperstar in the neighborhood and is universally adored.
We have never seen Bär act aggressively in all the years we have known him.
We also came to know Tobias and Liliana and their three children, and can personally vouch for the fact that they are good, kind, conscientious and responsible friends and neighbors. They are upstanding members of our community.
As for the incident with the husky Pushkin, it’s inconceivable to us that Bär would attack another dog unprovoked. It is absolutely not in his nature. We’ve seen him in hundreds of interractions with other dogs over the years and have NEVER ONCE observed any aggression in him.
However, if confronted by an aggressive dog, a normally sweet dog will defend itself.
We know that huskies can be confrontational and aggressive. We have chickens and have had five killed by two huskies who live nearby and escaped their enclosure. On the other hand, Bär has been at our property several times and never showed any interest in our chickens.
We are shocked and dismayed that a sweet dog such as Bär would be labeled “dangerous” — it’s preposterous, in fact. If you knew Bär, you would laugh, since he’s a sweet family dog. That is just not him.
Huskies, however, can be dangerous in our experience.
Our only “interractions” with Pushkin have been from passing by his house. His owners never say hello when they are outside, and so we have not had a chance to get to know them, or him.
We wish we could be at this meeting in person to lend our support to Tobias, Liliana and Bär — it’s very important to us that they be seen by the City Council as a lovely family in our community, and that Bär be seen for the wonderful family dog he is.
We sincerely hope that Bär’s absurd and misapplied “dangerous dog” designation is removed and that this sweet family can resume their lives and once again join us at the dog park. We, and our dogs, miss them so. This is a case that has zero merit and, frankly, is an utter waste of time and money.
Sarah Caplan & Russell Fong
242 Donohoe Street, East Palo Alto
