Love, Fear of a Dog Tear a Family Apart

The San Francisco Chronicle ^ | August 8, 2006 | Elizabeth Fernandez

[Reeses]

Valerie Louie's nightmare started the day her young son accidentally left their front door ajar last year.

Two of her dogs -- pit bull mixes -- ran out, and one bit a small dog on the ear. San Francisco's animal control department deemed the animals "vicious and dangerous,'' and eventually they were banned from Louie's Richmond District home.

But in a bizarre snowballing of events, Louie's son, Andrew, then 6, was removed from his home and placed in foster care where, allegedly, an older child engaged him in sexual behavior. Andrew eventually was permitted to move in with his aunt, but he has not returned to his home full time in eight months even though the dogs have been gone the whole time.

The boy had never been bitten, harmed or even threatened by the family pets, although Louie admits she could have done more to supervise Andrew around the animals. Child Protective Services officials told Louie that they were taking the boy to a foster home because of the threat that Andrew could be hurt by the dogs.

"My family was torn apart for purely speculative reasons,'' said Louie, 45, a registered nurse. "It is terrifying that city agencies can have so much power against a law-abiding, hardworking family. But the worst part of it all has been the time between my son and me that is forever lost.''

Louie, who has filed a legal claim against the city, goes back to court today to argue that Andrew should be allowed to return home full time.

[Reeses]

This story is so wrong on so many levels. San Francisco is no place to raise a child.

[Lx]

Sounds like they overcompensating for that loser couple with the huge dogs that mauled and killed a woman.

Poor family, CPS run a muck!

[meandog]

But in a bizarre snowballing of events, Louie's son, Andrew, then 6, was removed from his home and placed in foster care where, allegedly, an older child engaged him in sexual behavior ... The boy had never been bitten, harmed or even threatened by the family pets ... Child Protective Services officials told Louie that they were taking the boy to a foster home because of the threat that Andrew could be hurt by the dogs.

Unbelieveable...San Fransissyco, home to Pelosi and Boxer, removes a boy from a home where he is loved and PROTECTED by a pit bull and puts him in one where is lured and MOLESTED by a bully.

[tkathy]

Pit bulls do not belong around children. Or anyone for that matter.

[Gingersnap]

Social services departments are just monsters. When my best friend's daughter was 12 or so, she completely lost it to a huge temper tantrum. When my friend told her what to expect in terms of discipline for overreacting, the girl called CPS and made up an outrageous claim.

The investigation proved that the daughter was lying and that the home was fine but my friend is still on a list because of the complaint. Her daughter is now in college and has her own kid but she will be on that list until the day she dies apparently.

[pabianice]

"Tales from a Leftist Cesspool"

[Reeses]

Pit Bull mixes are the number one dog a few miles away in Oakland. If CPS applied half the concern there they'd have to find foster homes for 80% of the kids.

If Pit Bulls are fixed I don't think they are so bad, although they do better with men than women. No one should have their family disassembled by government because of their choice in dogs.

[tkathy]

Govt or no govt no one with an IQ above 20 should choose a pit bull of any kind around children.

[gridlock]

If they're gonna come for your kid, shoot the damn dog.

[doggieboy]

Yep. Something is wrong with that breed.

[SueAngel]

Oh this story really makes me fume. Last month my little dog was attacked by a fox in our fenced-in backyard, only a few feet from our back door. We live in the middle of a city -- several miles from any vacant land. She ended up losing an eye from the attack.

I called our city's Animal Control, they came out, set a trap, and caught the fox. HOWEVER, they took the fox to the city's Wildlife Learning Center (which is about 7 miles from our house) and released it! A wildlife expert I spoke with, who is unaffiliated with Animal Control, said the fox will just come back to our area -- that the foxes and other wildlife are finding it easier to live in populated areas now than in the wild.

If it had been a dog that had attacked my dog, they would've had it killed for sure. Why are they protecting the fox? I attribute it to the liberal attitude that wildlife must be protected at all costs -- and that people (and their pets) come last.

[SueAngel]

CPS runs amok in so many states. One of the problems is that they get their funding from the goverment based on the number of cases they have open. That type of arrangement means they're always on the lookout for new cases. They take the kids away first and ask questions later.

[Reeses]

It's also not smart to raise a child in San Francisco, especially with no father. Fortunately few people attempt it. Here's a picture of SF's Child Protective Services in action:

[tkathy]

yikes

[Lx]

I agree!

You would think the child's welfare would be paramount but not in a bureaucracy.

It's sad. There was an episode of Cops! in my city of Sacramento that had a woman that had 7 kids by different fathers take away one of her kids from a woman who was taking what looked like great care of the child. She'd had the kid for I think 18 months already. The mom had the cops remove the kid at 1:00 in the morning just so her mom could get the welfare money. The cops sided with the adoptive mom but couldn't do anything. It was a horrible situation.

[Darnright]

San Francisco hits bottom, digs.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Personally, I consider many dogs to be potential hazards around small children. But then life is full of potential hazards for small children. How we manage them is the key. Common sense on a case by case basis.

I feel sorry for these people, getting ground under the boot of the fascist nanny state. OTOH, half the people in this country go to the polls ad nauseum voting whole heartedly for the nanny state. If you want the government to take care of every aspect of your life, you had better realize the bureaucrats will do just that. The freebees come at a high price.

[HairOfTheDog]

Same story posted and pinged here:

Mom's Pit Bulls Lead To Son Being Put In Foster Care

Ping!

Other articles with keyword "DOGGIEPING" since 12/29/04

[AnAmericanMother]

Is that Barnaby in Babes in Toyland? Haven't thought about that mean old rat in years!

[MEGoody]

There does seem to be some info missing from this article. Seems odd that dogs would be banned because one of them bit a dog on the ear. Of course, this is SF.