Authorities Received No Complaints in Dog Case

Re “Put Bite Into Reining In Dogs,” Voices, March 30: I was outraged by David Harvey’s opening statement: “Before her death, many of [Diane] Whipple’s neighbors had complained about [Robert] Noel and [Marjorie] Knoller’s dogs. Now people wonder why the authorities did not act sooner. If San Francisco’s animal control department is anything like Los Angeles’, I can see how such a tragedy can happen.”

Harvey should get his facts straight before casting aspersions on other agencies. Prior to Whipple’s mauling, no complaints about the dogs were ever received by San Francisco Animal Care and Control or the San Francisco Police Department. I would like to think that if we were notified, maybe this tragedy would not have occurred.

I can’t speak to the problem Harvey seems to have with his local animal control department. As an editor for a textbook company, however, he should know the importance of accuracy.

Carl Friedman

Director, San Francisco

Animal Care and Control