Mark and Lynn Gideon thought they were following all the rules, so when a Dallas code enforcement officer visited their East Dallas home and handed them two citations, they didn’t imagine that they could lose all of their pets.
Mark, 51 and Lynn, 48, share their home with seven mostly dachshund-mix dogs and ten cats -- twelve are more than ten years old. The Gideons say that their indoor pets are current on their vaccinations and heartworm preventative, and are spayed and neutered. When the City of Dallas passed a law in 2007 limiting the number of dogs and cats in single-family homes, the Gideons obtained the required permit to grandfather in all of their existing pets.
On August 24, 2009, a Dallas Code Compliance officer responded to a neighbor's complaint at the Gideon home. The officer wrote two tickets -- one for pet waste and one for the odor of the pet waste. All seventeen animals’ rabies tags and city registrations were current.
Mark Gideon refused to sign the citations, and took a day off work to go to City Hall. He was told to come back on another day. Not being able to miss a second day of work, Mark Gideon pled no contest and paid the two $109 citations.
Mark and Lynn Gideon didn't know that Dallas law allows the city to revoke all pet registrations if the owner receives more than one citation in a 12-month period. When the city revokes the registrations, all the animals must go.
The Gideons found out when a letter came from Kent Robertson, Director of Dallas Animal Services. The letter stated that all of the Gideons' pet licenses were revoked and that the couple must "...remove all dogs and cats from your residence” within fifteen days.
The couple hired an attorney to appeal. In their January 7 hearing, the attorney argued that the two citations, issued on the same day at 8:05 PM, were really only one. With only ten of fifteen members attending, the Permit and License Appeals board's decision was split 5-5. The tie meant that the Director’s decision stood. The following week, Robertson ordered the Gideons to surrender all of their animals by February 14.
Lynn Gideon says, "We are heartbroken about all this and just want to be able to keep our family members."
Judy Griggs runs a no-kill animal shelter, Rescued Pet Adoption League, and is one of several members of the rescue community helping the Gideons to place their pets. Griggs says that the animals appear to be content and in good condition for their ages. Griggs and three other volunteers canvassed the Gideons' neighborhood Sunday: “We spoke with more than twelve neighbors and they had no complaints about the Gideons. Most didn't even know who they were or that they had animals."
Griggs says, “This was my first time to meet Lynn and Mark Gideon and I found them to be very nice people. They did everything right. What is wrong with this picture?
Griggs adds, "We actually saw more code violations among the neighbors' yards than the Gideons'."
Griggs says that what the Gideons need now are homes for their pets, some of which are on medication for the conditions that go along with old age. She hopes that if Dallas citizens appeal to Kent Robertson and to their City Council members, that Robertson will reinstate the Gideons' permits and spare the animals the trauma of having to be re-homed.
Comments
Please include a way for us to contact the city board that made this descision in your article!
The lesson here is: don't license or register your pets with the city!! I can't believe how short-sighted and foolish Robertson and the DAS is being. Not to mention cruel and heartless... we all know how stressful it is for elderly animals to have to adjust to a new home, not to mention how heartbreaking this is for the Gideons.
This is exactly why it's foolish to license dogs and cats any more. Licensing was originally supposed ONLY to be a means of ID and to get lost animals back home - it was never meant to be a permit ALLOWING pet ownership because, duh, everyone had the right to own however many pets they could take care of! As the US Constitution guarantees. Animal rights groups have pushed so many stupid, evil laws like this one in Dallas that only hurt those they're supposed to protect. Can you say, unintended consequences?
Candi - Thanks for the suggestion. The only documentation I have right now just has signatures of the 5 who voted to revoke the licenses, and they are not legible. I'll try to track this down if the family is OK with having the names shared.
Two minor tickets and these people are losing all of their animals?? The Dallas AC and the Dallas City Council should be ashamed of themselves. Oh, and I don't want to hear another word about overpopulated dallas shelters if this is the way they are going to treat loving homes!!
Outrageous! Can they move? I sure would!
This is THE most heart-breaking thing I have heard in a while. I am in Austin and would LOVE to have the names of SOMEONE we can write to--my heart goes out to this family.
You can e-mail the entire Dallas City Council in one e-mail via this link: www.ci.dallas.tx.us/forms/mcc/MCC_Mail_Form.htm. Please urge the Council to save the Gideons' animals.
Unbelievable and Unacceptable on so many levels!
I realize it's VERY short notice and I have read that the Gideons can't afford to move, but that is precisely what I would do! Hell, I'd move OUT OF DALLAS! What a black eye for the City of Dallas! Shameful! Heartless! An eye opener for the rest of us!
Its happening to everyone who played by their new rules. It is a numbers game. This way they can say they took in xxxx amount of dogs and cats. Make their numbers look good. This grandfathering thing was presented to the public as a way to be sensitive to the folks that had more than the new allowed amount. It was really any easy way for them to know who would be an easy target and take their pets. No hard work. They get the license fee and they take your pets. Shame on DAS! Shame on DALLAS!
What a shame. The board should reconsider
Kent Robertson is the guy who used to run BARC in Houston. Enough said. Cannot believe the City of Dallas was foollish enough to hire him, but they could still redeem themselves by reversing this terrible and unjustifiable decision.
Politicians like to defuse opposition by adding more than one offense to trigger violations of their anti-pet owner legislation. What the Code Enforcement officer did in Dallas is indicative of abuse of power. This is one of the reasons my organization PetPAC has written a National Pet Owners Bill of Rights. This stinks more than the so-called violations. Visit www.petpac.net
This story is not only sad for the family involved, but it's completely senseless. There are millions of homeless animals, many of which get euthanized every year, because they are no longer wanted. And then there are people like these that obviously care for and about their animals, making sure they they are seen by a vet and are recieving vaccines. And then they are forced to get rid of all their well cared for animals because their neighbor had nothing better to do than cause trouble.
I really hope that somehow things workout that this family can stay together. It's not fair to the people or the animals involved. The only thing it seems that they're guilty of is loving their furry family.
The Gideon's need to have their lawyer file a Section 1983 suit in federal court against the city AND all the city employees involved in this. Federal law has declared these animals are their private property, and they've had it stripped from them OUTSIDE A COURT OF LAW. They are entitled-again by federal law-to a trial in a REAL COURT, in front of a REAL JUDGE. I can forward tons of recent case law and filings on this. The only way to stop this is to make stupidity cost the city $$.
SHAME SHAME SHAME on these five idiots.. and the rest of the people who are STEALING these pets..and since when does a 5-5 vote go to the CITY.. the government is FOR THE PEOPLE.. a tie vote should ALWAYS go in favor of the CITIZEN over the large mass of trash called "government".. VOTE THESE PEOPLE OUT.. and by the way let's have their NAMES.. and perhaps more.... so we can make sure they never hold office again...
Candi S - I think everyone should call Kent Robertson, the Director of Dallas Animal Services, and ask him why he is allowing this to happen. His phone number is 214-670-8246.
Mr. Robertson has worked with animals for many years - so how is it that he can not see what a tragedy it is to take senior animals away from a loving home when he of all people should know how hard to come by a caring permanant home is!
Okay, now what ELSE CAN WE DO AS I sent an email to City Hall(see below), but what Else? It seems animal control isn't helping, I'm not surprised why would they?
Thank you for your e-mail. The city has been working with the Gideon’s for a very long time. The registrations were revoked due to concern for the health of the animals and Animal Services is assisting with the placement of the animals.
If you need additional assistance please contact Ms. Lynetta Kidd in Animal Services at 214-671-8079.
Sincerely,
Caroline
Caroline Nosworthy
Council Assistant to Council member Sheffield Kadane
Dallas City Council
1500 Marilla 5FS
Dallas, Tx 75201
214/670-4069 direct line
214/670-1813 fax
www.dallascityhall.com
We should all be scared. This is an outrage and it could happen to anyone. Groups of crazy people have become part of every place in society having to do with pet ownership. This is what happens when you have radicals, in any group. The Gideons provide a home for these pets where they are loved and taken care of. Our shelters and rescue groups are full of unwanted pets without homes. Why on earth would the Dallas City Council put more pets into the system when they already have a loving home??? Very sad and very scary!
How stressful for these poor animals, what's the point? You can tell
they are well taken care of! Leave these poor people alone.
Yes, lesson well learned do NOT register your animals with the city
this way they can find stupid excuses like this.
And let's be realistic in this economy how many people can just pack up
and move?
Shame on Dallas! If I was the city council members, I would on Valentines Day show they have a heart and let these people keep their animals.
Here is a chance to take an ugly situation and turn it positive!!!!
Gideons are the ones who should be ashamed. Really Oder and Waste?Anyone want to live next door to people who get those tickets. Anyone want to live next door to 17 pets? Hope the real whole story comes out and the real pictures. You all will be eating your words. Remember allways two sides to every story.
DAS supporter...please do us all a favor and just go to hell.
To all the commenters who thought the Gideons should call Kent Robertson: This should be a good idea, but it isn't.
The Gideons were brought up at last Thursday's Animal Shelter Commission meeting, but Robertson, Skip Trimble and the others on the Commission just sat on their hands and said that "there was an ongoing investigation". Spineless dolts. If it wasn't promoting cruelty to Houston's animals, I'd suggest that Robertson return there. Bringing him back to Dallas at a six-figure salary was - and is - a waste of a six-figure salary.
What really sucks is I can't EVEN get Dallas Animal Control to come out on my 15+ calls re:dangerous,unlicensed dogs roaming my neighborhood!!I can't even walk my dogs in my own front yard for fear of attack.
You have a good presentation here with lots of information. I don't know the entire story, but If people could pay attention to abused and neglected animals instead of hammering people like the Gideons the world would be a better place.
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