Here are some of the people you might contact NOW (NOTE: If anyone experiences any problems with the contact information or links, it would be appreciated if you would kindly post a notice to that effect.)
The Administrative Law Judge who will conduct Bubba's hearing is Judge Scott A. Harvey. His contact information is: Office of Administrative Hearings, DC Office of Administrative Hearings, 825 North Capitol Street NE, Room 4150, Washington DC 20002-4210. (Fax to be published when known.)
Bubba's Hearing was initially held on April 21st and 22nd and is expected to continue on April 30th (noon) in room 5100 (Dorment v. District of Columbia) in room 5100 at 825 North Capitol street. It is open to the public, but space is limited.
From all we have heard, Judge Harvey is an extremely fair and competent judge. If you write to him, and we encourage you to do so, please be very polite, remembering that he had nothing to do with this case coming before him (also because he is a Deacon in his church, meaning he is in touch at least once a week with One Special Contact you may need yourself some time). But because (a) we could not find any Dangerous Dog cases he has handled; (b) we have seen firsthand the DoH's tactics in and out of court; and (c) we know from other cases that those same or similar tactics, if used here, even against a fair judge, could result in Bubba's death (click here to read about Lucy's case to see that) even if he is truly innocent even of being the dog that did the biting, it is extremely important that he hear from the public. Remember, it was an outpouring of thousands of letter to Federal Judge Henry E. Hudson from the public that spared the lives of all but one of Michael Vick's dogs.
Please write to Judge Harvey now. Judge Harvey is an extremely fair and competent judge. Please be very polite, remembering that he had nothing to do with this case coming before him. Remember, it was an outpouring of thousands of letter to Federal Judge Henry E. Hudson from the public that spared the lives of all but one of Michael Vick's dogs and the dog Congo in NJ last month, Sidney in DC last summer, Duke in NY last December, and so on. Judges need to hear from the community they represent. Please tell the judge about the chilling effect any adverse against Sidney will have on all dogs in the District of Columbia.
DC Mayor Adrian M. Fenty: Contact Information Fax: 202-727-0505; Call Center Phone: 727-1000; E-mail: adrian.fenty@dc.gov.
The DC City Council Members we believe have an interest in animal protection or related issues include: Jim Graham, Jack Evans, Mary Cheh, Carol Schwartz and Phil Mendelson. Please click here for the web site with the DC Council members' contact info.
The DC City Council member in whose district this unfortunate incident took place is Tommy Wells. Click here for his web site. City Council members do have some control over what the Department of Heath, which is responsible for animal control, does with respect to these things. For instance, in Sidney's case last summer, Blogger was told directly by a senior Department of Health official that due process was discarded because of the pressure being put on them by the city council member in whose district that unfortunate incident took place. Council member Wells e-mail is: twells@dccouncil.us (You can read a letter sent to Council member Wells by clicking here.)
The Humane Society of Washington runs the DC animal control program as a contractor for and under the policies of the DC Government, reporting to the Department of Health. In any communication you have with the Humane Society, whatever their role in this case may have been, please acknowledge the otherwise great job that they do with a heartbreaking, thankless task under policies that are handed to them by DC, and with funding that is woefully inadequate. The executive director of the Humane Society is Ms. Lisa LaFontaine, who was just appointed to the position in October. Although she has only been in her job for a few months, she is known to be an effective advocate for animals, even though her job as head of the DC Shelter where Bubba is being kept is responsible for carrying out the policies and orders of the DC Government, even if those policies are fundamentally wrong. Please ask her to weigh in now on this matter because she will have to live with the consequences, including the terrible precedent that will be set in this case. Ms. LaFontaine's contact information is: Lisa LaFontaine, President and CEO, Washington Humane Society, 7319 Georgia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20012, (202) 683-1829, e-mail: LLaFontaine@washhumane.org
The DC Department of Health (DoH) administers the city's programs regarding animals. The chief of the DoH's Animal Disease Prevention Department is Ms. Peggy Keller. Her office is responsible for all animal control matters. Please be polite in any communication you send to her as she too is only doing her job --- a thankless but important job at that --- and she is known to be reasonable and fair. She has too many bosses, too little funding, and a huge job. Her contact information is: Phone: 202-535-2188, Fax: 202-535-1359, e-mail: peggy.keller@dc.gov
Click here for to view a letter that was sent to Peggy Keller.
The new director of the Department of Health (the 5th in 7 years) is Dr. Peirre Vigilance (pierre.vigilance@dc.gov). (Click here for article on him in April 17th Washington Post). Although there is nothing he can do in Bubba's case because the matter has already been turned over to a judge, you might wish to write him and plead with him to fix the process in his Department regarding the treatment of animals (and their owners) accused under the Dangerous Dog Act. In particular, to the extent you believe what you have read here and in the Save Sidney blog, he should know that there is no deliberative process in place to screen the truly dangerous dog cases from frivolous common dog scuffles or that all it takes is a vindictive owner whose dog was bitten to scream "I want that dog called" or a city councilman to pressure the DoH to push a case onto a judge, cases that should have been disposed of in 15 minutes or settled in civil cases and not at public expense. He should also know that his department refuses to learn from their experiences or mistakes. He should also know that these matters are consuming much his department'sresources and reputation when there are far more serious issues he must contend with. Dr. Vigilance has impressed us as a reasonable person who will understand these things. He impresses us as being in the mold of the new heads of the DC schools and the police department who believe in teamwork with the public to resovle the city's pressing problems.
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is responsible for investigating allegations of fraud, waste and abuse of government resources, so in your communication with the IG, please focus on the egregious waste of resources that these dog-bites-dog cases are causing in a Department of Helath (DoH) that is in the city with the worst HIV/AIDS record in the country. Also focus on the failure on the part of the D0H to put into place improvements based on their experiences and the case law in this very area. The contact information for the Inspector General is: Honorable Charles J. Willoughby, DC Inspector General, Office of the Inspector General 717 14th Street, NW, Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20005, Email: oig@dc.gov, Phone: (202) 727-2540, Fax: (202) 727-9846
THANK YOU FOR HELPING BUBBA. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT BUBBA COULD BE YOUR DOG, AND PERHAPS IT WILL BE YOUR DOG THE NEXT TIME IF BUBBA IS NOT FREED NOW.
3 comments:
The following is a letter sent to Mayor Fenty from the Friends of Guenady in Nice France
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It has been brought to our attention that there is currently a situation in your municipality that is wasting public money, taxpayers' money, and creating an unfortunate image of your city in the public mind.
Apparently, a workman accidentally let a family's pet dog escape his enclosed yard, and that dog apparently got into a fight with another dog and injured it.
Apparently, this dog is now impounded and awaiting a judicial hearing, which could result in his death.
Don't you think this a lot of fuss to make over a dogbite? After all, this dog did not attack a child or any other human, but was just following dog instinct. Unfortunately, the dog was not neutered, but that is another question (we believe in the need for sterilizing all pets before adoption, we already have too many unwanted animals that have to be destroyed, to take a chance on pets reproducing!).
We feel from the information we have that this was an unfortunate accident, that fines might be imposed and precautions against repeat offense imposed, but death is too much and too unfair. What image would you have your city project to the world?
We ask you kindly to show reason in this matter and to resolve things rapidly and humanely, especially as this case has certainly already placed too much of a burden on municipal resources.
We don't think the situation merits any of this fuss and we hope you will agree and take the measures necessary to release this dog to his family without further delay, but with all obligations to make sure it never happens again.
Thank you and sincerely,
The Friends of Guenady Association
Nice, France
As a friend of John and Nadine, Bubba's owners, I thank you for your interest in this sad and frustrating case.
Although the common sense approach of The Friends of Guenady Ass'n, above, is very much appreciated, they are misinformed in one important fact. Bubba was neutered.
The only witnesses to the dog fight were the dog walker walking the dog who was injured and the worker who accidentally let Bubba out. The worker says that the dog walker kicked and screamed at Bubba when Bubba approached the two dogs she was walking.
Nadine & John remain willing to keep Bubba under home quarantine until he has had a fair and impartial hearing before a neutral judge or administrative agency. They object to the absence of due process in this case. Despite their numerous requests, they were never provided copies of DCDOH's reports until media involvement.
Keep those posts & letters of support coming! Let's inject some sanity and fairness into this process.
Message Sent to Mayor Adrian Fenty
Mayor Fenty,
I saw the news report on Friday about the Department of Health's (DoH) warrantless seizure of the puppy Bubba on Capitol Hill because he bit another dog and about how they are now putting the dog on trial. It sure looks like your DoH has its priorities right. After all, we citizens are all running scared to walk outside with all those dangerous puppies on the streets. Perhaps this explains why your police department had been given the authority to shoot unleashed dogs on sight? And perhaps that's why our citizens are up in arms about trying to knock down our gun control laws.
What I do not understand is this. This is the second time in seven months year that your Department of Health has made the news that I can recall, both times in prosecuting dogs that bit other dogs. Surely, sir, in a city that has the biggest HIV/AIDS epidemic among US cites, there must be other priorities and uses of scare resources --- not to mention authority --- in that department. Frankly, it looks like it's time for a change in your DoH, too. Perhaps you should send either Michelle Rhee or Cathy Lanier over there after they fix up the school system and the police force, respectively.
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