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Read Michael's full letter to ABC15
I would like to address the “spin” version of the cat rescue escapade propagated by both the Phoenix Police press release and the Humane Society.
This is an attempt at a fair accounting of the situation, not an attempt to place blame.
All I ever wanted was the rescue of my friend, but the lack of objectivity in subsequent releases has prompted this response.
There has been a great deal of misinformation and innuendo spread around about what should have been the simple act of saving a pet’s life.
The Humane Society is, in general, a fine and worthy organization. A large contributing factor to what has ultimately become a circus was their inaction based on hearsay and not facts. They should not tell someone with no money he needs to hire a company to go into a yard he has not been granted access to.
As for their accusations that their advice was not followed, I was at work when things I heard about happened, and had no control of the situation. One also is not able to leave food and water under a tree in a yard he has no access to. These items were left on the wall. I had no other time to try and coax the cat down besides before or after work, from our side of the fence.
I had no desire to involve the media in this situation until all other options had been exhausted, and I was repeatedly told by government services that my only option was to let Brutus die. This leads me to the part of the story I was trying to avoid. My father was faced with losing everything he had worked for his entire life, and committed suicide last year.
I struggled with “what if I had said, what if I had done, what if I had known” for months before I decided to move thousands of miles and just start over.
The last thing I desired was a huge media event, but I was not going to go through the “what ifs” again. I withheld my name because I did not want hundreds of calls from my previous life. This would defeat the entire purpose of moving thousands of miles.
Although I don’t agree with everything the officer next door did, there are some important facts to remember.
This, unfortunately for all involved, occurred on his private property. If no government agency is willing or able to help rescue the pet, he has genuine liability concerns. I respected his property and tried my best to get a government agency to intervene, to no avail. When he told me to stop coming to the door after the Humane Society had been there the first time, I respected his wishes.
I called the Humane Society from outside their house to find out what was going to happen, not because I doubted the wife had called.
All I wanted was information, as the neighbor had closed her door. The biggest obstacle I found in getting help is a lack of funding to Animal Services, the Fire Department, and the Phoenix Police. All are stretched thin due to budgetary constraints.
I was left with no other place to turn so I contacted the media. I chose to put the pet’s welfare ahead of my own personal desire for privacy. If not for Matt, Jose, and Christina at channel 15, I believe my pet would have died in the tree. He was too scared to come down. As for the ridiculous “how many cat skeletons have you seen in a tree” comment, I would imagine that they fall out when they die.
Unfortunately, I have heard that the officer’s property has been defaced.
There is no call for this. If you don’t like the laws, change them. If you want better city services, demand them. If you would like to help with funding, donate. You can’t expect people to simply ignore laws they don’t like.
Vote to change them. I would also like to let all concerned know that I have absolutely no plans to attempt suing anyone. All I ever wanted was my pet somehow rescued, that is all.
The officer and the people I am staying with have had problems in the past, and my pet got caught in the middle. There was no call for gunplay by the neighbor, putting my friend’s son’s life in jeopardy, but I do want to sincerely thank the Phoenix Police for finally taking charge of the situation and safely returning my emaciated pet.
I believe he will ultimately be OK, and that is what’s really important. Please don’t deface the officer’s property anymore. A little compassion goes a long way.
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