To Menlo Park City Council,
In the actions regarding the dog known as Cleo it is clear that Peninsula Humane Society failed in their most important obligation of protecting the community from a dangerous animal.
There is no disputing that Cleo, running loose in the neighborhood, killed my cat while she slept on her own driveway. Cleo's owners themselves knocked on my door and told us so.
There is no disputing that Cleo killed Sparky as the owner failed to control the animal and stop the attack. Just listen to the hearing.
There is no disputing that multiple neighbors are well aware of Cleo's aggressive and dangerous nature. Just listen to the hearing regarding Sparky's killing.
At the hearing for Sparky I was described as uncooperative with PHS after my cat was killed. That is simply false. Read for yourself my email exchanges with PHS below.
In those emails PHS states the "incident will be documented" and the owners would be informed of the actions that "could be taken against their dog if it were to be involved in any future attacks." Well there is no disputing Cleo was involved in another killing yet no actions to protect the community were taken. At the hearing for Sparky there was a total lack of awareness of any documented past incident regarding Cleo in the PHS records. I had to email the information myself to the hearing officer. Was the killing of my cat not documented as stated in the PHS email? Was there not a check of PHS records after the killing of Sparky? Was it simply a case of PHS not doing their due diligence in investigating?
I did not witness the killing of Sparky but regardless of the details there can be no dispute that Cleo's owner failed to control the dog to prevent or stop the killing.
In the written ruling regarding Sparky the hearing officer finds "that “Cleo” meets the definition of a Dangerous Animal under MPMC 9.02.100", yet fails to provide any protection to the community by failing to formally designate the dog as dangerous. The hearing officer goes on to say "any future violation" may result in such a designation. Sound familiar? That's what I was told.
The bottom line is the hearing officer was correct that Cleo IS dangerous. If not properly controlled Cleo will kill again. PHS took zero actions to notify or protect the public from the animal they found to be dangerous. How can the City of Menlo Park accept that decision or continue doing business with a contractor who fails to take any action whatsoever to protect the public from an animal they state IS dangerous and has a documented history of multiple killings?
I respectfully request the city of Menlo Park give strong consideration to this documented failure of due diligence by Peninsula Humane Society when considering future contracts for animal control services.
Regards,
Ken Bayne
637 Central Ave.
Menlo Park CA 94025
Bayne.ken@gmail.com
------- Emails to/from PHS after the killing of my cat Anneliese as she slept on her driveway ----------
Fri, May 29, 2020, 9:43 AM
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to czylstra, Valerie
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5-29-2020
Hello Ms. Zylstra,
Its Ken Bayne following up on our conversation yesterday regarding the death of our cat Anneliese who was attacked on our driveway by a neighbor’s dog. After discussion with my wife Valerie we’ve decided not to pursue any formal action but wanted you to have the details for your records. Here’s a summary.
About 8:15 yesterday morning my wife answered our door. It was woman and a man, and the man was carrying a box and a shovel. They were there to inform us their dog got loose and ran over to our house and before they could get to him they found the dog (an orange/rust Malamute) had killed our cat Anneliese. The man offered to put Anneliese in the box which he did. They also left us the attached Sympathy card with their names and phone numbers. We had not met them before but were aware of their dog which has gotten loose previously.
Yesterday evening I spoke with Michael by phone. I thanked them for letting us know about the incident and for the card. I also made him aware of an earlier incident last October when their dog had bitten our Chihuahua through a gap in their fence, leading to a significant infection and complications. We had not previously told them of this incident because we considered our Chihuahua had contributed to it as well. I let Michael know that I did not intend to pursue yesterday’s incident further, but that the potential consequences could have been very serious.
I also gave Michael a heads up that we had spoken and that you may pay him a visit.
Our address is 637 Central Ave., in Menlo Park. Their house is across the street and three houses South on the corner of Central and Walnut. Not sure if they have a Central or Walnut address. Google says its 122 Walnut. Their fence with a gate and the gap where our dog was bitten faces Central.
Once again, I thank you for so patiently explaining the potential courses of action yesterday. If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to call. My cell is 650-521-7016. If you need to speak with Valerie her number is 650-521-6972.
Thank you,
Ken Bayne
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Caitie Zylstra czylstra@peninsulahumanesociety.org via dkim.mimecast.org
Fri, May 29, 2020, 1:09 PM
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to me, Valerie
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Mr. Bayne,
Thank you so much for your timely update.
Please know that this incident will be documented and we will be reaching out to the owners of this dog to make sure that they are aware of the seriousness of these types of incidents. Although we will not be pursuing this dog as a Vicious or Dangerous Animal at this time, we feel it is imperative to inform the owners of the possible action that could be taken against their dog if it were to be involved in any future attacks.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter and again, I am truly sorry for your loss.
Caitie Zylstra
Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA
12 Airport Boulevard
San Mateo, CA 94401
P: (650)340-8200 x360
F: (650)685-0102
www.peninsulahumanesociety.org
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