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Mooie Continues to Touch Our
Lives...
Recommendations for "animal cops" type humane
investigations submitted (and can be used in your hometown)
Beautiful California
memorial efforts for Mooie
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This week Pasado’s Safe
Haven submitted a set of recommendations to the King County Council in
order to augment Motion 2006-0241 which requires King County Animal
Control to investigate ways to improve enforcement of animal cruelty
laws in King County. Pasado’s has always advocated assigning dedicated
Humane Investigators to manage all animal cruelty and neglect cases
reported in King County and we have now submitted a formal
recommendation to the Council for consideration.
As many of you
remember, the Council initiated this action in the wake of Mooie’s death
last Spring. Read the story
here. The outcry for
justice from Pasado’s supporters directed at the Council convinced them
that they needed to take action. Cruelty cases are becoming more and
more frequent and the level of violence is escalating so the time is
right to take a look at the policies, procedures and framework in place
for investigating abusers and removing animals from dangerous
situations.
Once again, we applaud the King County Council for responding to the
call for action and we encourage King County Animal Services to
implement our recommendations as soon as possible. We’ll continue to
update you on this issue.
To read our report minus the Exhibits, click
here.
Live out of Washington State? Please feel free to use these ideas
to implement in your area!
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California memorial efforts remember Mooie... |
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Mooie is gone, but she is
not forgotten and we hope she did not die in vain. We’re reminded of her
almost daily and when we received a letter from Aimee. B from San Jose,
CA., it was clear that many of you continue to think of her often as
well. Aimee and her family were so effected by Mooie’s tragic demise,
they needed to memorialize her memory is some way. They thought long and
hard and finally came up with a design that captures what so many of us
feel when we think of this little puppy.
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This is how Aimee chose
the design: “I chose the For-Get-Me-Not flower because I didn’t ever
want her forgotten, the tears represent the deepest sorrow and of course
the paw print with heart is for all the love so many people have shown
for her and the love I know she wanted to give”. Needless to say, the
Pasado’s staff was in tears when we received the refrigerator magnet
this wonderful family crafted. They also made key chains and buttons,
and sold them to raise over $100 which they donated for Pasado’s rescue
work. |
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It’s also nice to be reminded that for every one person who would do
something like what was done to Mooie, there are thousands and thousands
of people who open their heart and grieve for the animals that touched
our lives, even if we never met them. Aimee and her family are among
those thousands and we’re so grateful that they shared her memories with
us. We just simply had to share them with you too.
(Mandy Speers, left, from
New York City, visits Pasado's Safe Haven and the beautiful bridge she
donated in memory of Mooie. It stands, as our "Rainbow Bridge" in
Pasado's Memorial Garden where the rescued animals, we could not save,
rest.)
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PAST NEWS
Thanks to the massive
outpouring of support from Pasado’s Safe Haven supporters from the King
County community and beyond, the King County Council has passed a motion
directing King County Animal Control (KCAC) to find ways to improve the
way animal cruelty and neglect cases are handled. The motion was
co-sponsored by Council Chair Larry Phillips and Councilmember Julia
Patterson and passed unanimously. In addition, the motion was
enthusiastically endorsed by Council Chair Phillips’ Golden Retriever
puppy, Chase! We could not have asked for a more noble, dignified and
cute representative for all the animals that need our help. By taking
his place at the council table, Chase put a face to the need to protect
our animal friends from cruelty and neglect. |
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Pasado’s applauds the
council for responding to all of you who took the time to write on
behalf of Mooie and then later, Junior. Both of these dogs suffered
enormously at the hands of depraved humans. Last year there was a 23%
increase in cruelty calls to KCAC.
The council recognizes that the increased frequency and increasingly
violent nature of these crimes merits immediate action. We hope that
KCAC will take this opportunity to look to other jurisdictions that have
succeeded in implementing progressive investigative protocols and
follow-up procedures and improving coordination with law enforcement
agencies. |
Pasado’s will also submit
recommendations for consideration based on the way we conduct humane
investigation and rescue work. One of those recommendations is to assign
one or two officers to respond to the most chronic and/or violent
cruelty and neglect cases and have them follow through on these cases
from beginning to end. This allows the field officer to closely monitor
any changes in the condition of the animals or closely track repeat
offenders and thus intervene in a more timely manner. No amount of
training can take the place of this kind of full immersion and the most
successful agencies follow this type of model.
Pasado’s humane investigators have also offered their services to KCAC
but liability issues are preventing any formal coordination efforts at
this time. Pasado’s will continue to explore ways to work together and
improve the lives of the animals suffering in our midst.
We understand that Walt Washington, Animal Services Manager, has voiced
his reluctance to change the status quo. If you have a comment or would
like to urge his support for improvements you can contact him
here. If you would like
to commend the King County Council for their responsiveness and
dedication to making KCAC a world-class operation, contact them at
here.
Read more about the motion
here.
We’ll continue to update you on this important matter as events unfold. |
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The changes we hope to see at Animal Control... |
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Short of a confession, the
chances of finding the wretched human who doused Mooie with ammonia are
very slim. Pasado's, with the help of our wonderful supporters, has
offered a reward of $20,000 to anyone who can provide information that
leads to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator. No one has come
forward to claim this reward for a crime that happened in broad
daylight. This reality saddens all of us because justice has not been
served and this monster is still out there with the means to do
something awful like this again. |
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However, the plight of
this puppy precipitated some very positive changes. Because of the
public outcry over the handling of the Mooie case, we were able to get
the attention of decision-makers and make a case for change. This week
Pasado's staff met with Metro King County Counsel member Julia Patterson
and her staff to discuss ways to improve the way animal cruelty and
neglect cases are handled by the King County Animal Services/Control (KCAC)
department.
Left, Rita Morgan,
Pasado's National Cruelty and Legislative Coordinator, and Julia
Patterson meet to hammer out how KCAC should handle cruelty cases in the
future.
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As a matter of routine,
reports of cruelty and neglect have been assigned to any of the 17 or so
KCAC field officers. We have always seen this as a problem because
cruelty cases are special in that they require exceptional investigative
skills and a deep understanding of the laws that govern the detective
work necessary to secure evidence and for the collection of other vital
information. This is how other violent crimes are handled and how crimes
against animal should be handled. These skill sets help to build a
strong case which can then be aggressively prosecuted. Getting
convictions with stiff penalties with mandatory psychiatric counseling
is the best way to deter the act of cruelty toward animals. |
If a field officer does
not have a law enforcement background, then on the job training is the
only way to develop these specialized skills. That is why it so
important that the same person or the same few people work on
cruelty/neglect cases and make them the priority among their duties. An
added bonus is that they will become familiar with those who have a
history and/or pattern of this type of behavior and those officers will
be in a good position to closely monitor and follow-up on any signs of
continued or escalating problems. We have seen so many cases where
animal neglect quickly turned into animal cruelty. Because the neglect
was not prioritized, animals ended up dying and suffering. We have seen
cruelty cases that were not given the attention and diligence they
deserved and as a result, no one pays the debt to humanity that they
owe, or a weak legal case ends in a slap on the wrist.
One side-effect of this scenario is the chilling effect that it has on
citizens who see neglect and cruelty but choose not to get involved
because they know the authorities won’t take it seriously enough to make
any difference. We need to re-engage those people. We all need to be the
voice of the suffering animals in our midst. An effective Animal
Services department is a vital part of the solution.
We feel confident that with Councilmember Patterson’s support, we can
make these changes. To that end, she will be introducing a motion that
will restructure KCAC into a separate humane investigation unit and a
unit that fields the more routine calls and complaints such as barking
dogs or license issues. With any luck, we’ll see those changes come to
fruition in the coming months. We’ll keep you updated on our progress.
It feels good to know that we have a strong advocate in Councilmember
Patterson. She is a true friend to the animals and we think you should
let her know that her legacy, and Mooie’s legacy, will help the animals
escape suffering for a very long time to come. You can email her
here.
Mooie’s death stirred something deep inside all of us. We all ached for
this baby girl. Your messages of compassion and calls for justice got
through loud and clear dear supporters. You are part of this legacy too
and you can be proud of the mark that you have made. Thank you so very
much.
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WHAT TO DO NOW:
Even if King County
Animal Control and the Federal Way P.D. never find Mooie's killer (see
history of story here), then we must
support Julia Patterson's fight for change that will NEVER allow this to happen to another animal
again.
Please write to
Ron Sims, the King County
Executive. Be polite, but let him know that there MUST be change
enacted:
--State your name and mailing address
--State that you encourage him to split Animal Control into two: a
"stray animal control" and a cruelty and neglect investigation
department.
--Let him know that other counties across the country delineate between
"dog catching" and "humane investigations"
--Explain that citizens expect more than animal "control" that animals
need to be protected, but controlled!
--Copy us on your comment
here.
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Results of the Town Hall Meeting |
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History of the case here.
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