Los Angeles Residents Support Rescuer In Court

The following articles in conjunction with the video 'TROUBLE SPOTS' which is found on the History In Media page of this site, tells of Warner's fight with Riverside County Animal Control and the County Supervisors which were appropriately dubbed 'Riverside County's Hillbilly Mafia" by the Los Angeles Times.  Over a 3 year battle in 43 court appearances to force Warner to keep his rescue dogs in cages instead of playing freely around his securely fenced yard, Riverside County spent nearly $60,000 to prosecute Warner to obtain a guilty plea which would have enforced a One Hundred dollar fine as a maximum penalty, but were unsuccessful in their efforts.

The public as well as the media seemed to come to the aid of this man's defense - People Magazine, Good Morning America, Hard Copy, David Letteman, New York Post, Los Angeles Times and more.

--- LA TIMES coverage (sampling of 5 articles)

---Residents of Los Angeles, Orange County and Riverside County speak out

---Judge Loree sides with Warner

---Press Enterprise coverage (sampling of 17 articles)

SEEING SPOTS

Randy Warner says he does not have the nearly $10,000+ needed to satisfy Riverside County Authorities regarding the proper kennel licensing for his dogs and plans to fight. Authorities are taking him to court for the 43^rd time.

A SPOT OF TROUBLE

Dogged by the Law:  Dalmatian Rescuer Awaits Day in Court.

By David Reyes Times Staff Reporter

High up along the Ortega Highway, amid towering oaks and pine, dog activist Randy Warner has established his latest – and, authorities hope, last headquarters for Dalmatian ResQ. Jailed four times already, Warner faces trial on July 27 for failing to have a kennel license while harboring, by his own count, 17 Dalmatians.

Among them are Maddy, a docile sweetie pie, now 16 years old, Megan, whose skull was caved in by a previous owner wielding a metal pipe, and Rockyretard, an adorable pooch who’s always first in line to eat or go for a ride and to get the first pat on the head. None seem to know the terms “lacking” when it comes to love or attention.

Riverside County Animal Control officials cited Warner, 43 for keeping too many dogs. He faces fines totaling $130. The fine is only an infraction, equaling a parking ticket. The required license costs $260 in full and he must spend another $3,500 to install kennels on his property that he rents. But, first he must pay the county $6,000 for a temporary land use permit, totaling over $10,000.

It’s money he doesn’t have Warner insists. In his backyard sits a worn-out 1977 VW camper van, gathering dust and badly in need of $550 worth of transmission work. Meanwhile, Warner says he spends nearly $1,000 per month on dog food and vet fees keeping the Dalmatians healthy.

"Why should I get a kennel license? Asked Warner, who divides his time between his work with finding the dogs good homes and arguing with the county supervisors. "The dogs have the run of the place here. The just don’t like me rescuing those dogs who would otherwise be killed in their dog pound for profit. I have no neighbors, the dogs are all happy, healthy and well cared for here. I’m actually saving the county money for NOT turning them into their kill facility. This is a rental property.  If I do get a license and spend the $10,000 to the county and end up with more than 15 dogs, then they would consider me 'commercial' and I'd have to construct handicapped parking and even a handicapped bathroom!    They are complete idiots!" Warner says with disgust.

Over 16 years, the Ohio native has forsaken careers in group sales, computer programming and the hotel business to save the lives of nearly 2,000 Dalmatians.  He insists he couldn't be happier                                 .        

It all started, Warner says, when he spotted a Dalmatian at a pound that was going to be euthanized. He took the dog home even though he had been searching for a blue eyed collie. Along the way, he has moved to Orange County, while becoming a focus of attention of the LA, Orange and now Riverside Counties. The worst charge against him was not having the proper permits for the number of dogs in his care. There were never neglect or abuse charges. Additionally, there has not yet been any conviction of Warner on any level and that hasn’t sat well with county officials.

In  October 1996, he was cited again by Riverside County and was recognized by Commissioner Loree, presiding, who said, "Oh, you’re the Dalmatian man. You’re doing a good thing here." He said that he and his wife had been following his trials in the papers over the years and felt he should be made a hero, not a criminal and would then refuse to even hear the current case against him - dismissing the charges.Loree is now the second judge/commissioner to call the county on the carpet over all this

. In 1995, Judge Romos of Orange County said, when he called Warner’s case, "This is not justice and it will not take place in my courtroom!" Then also dismissed the case before him.  Warner also reminds us that recently, Riverside County Board of Supervisors reduced the county's animal control budget from only 3% to a mere 1% - the same week they voted themselves a 35% pay raise.

Warner, who fights the system, with some impressive victories under his belt, does enjoy the limelights. He once brought 51 Dalmatians on the Late Show with David Letterman in New York, has been the subject of stories on Hard Copy TV Show, CNN, Leeza Gibbons Show and People Magazine to name a few.

Recently his celebrity followed him to court. Warner was approached by a retired supreme court justice, Honorable Jean Schmidt, stating that she too had followed his saga in the papers and would like to volunteer her services to help him settle this situation once and for all. It seems to be a backlash effect in Warner's favor following Orange County Animal Control's decision to remove Warner's dogs in a 1995 citation dispute and euthanize all 11, including 2 10 week puppies. The agency was heavily criticized for it's actions and Warner vowed that nobody would ever be able to do to his animals again.

Ava Park, executive director of Orange County People for Animals, the county’s largest animal rights group describes Warner as a kindhearted Pied Piper of Dalmatians. Stressing that he wouldn’t have to do all this if the public weren’t so incredibly insensitive in regards to their pets.

Dalmatians obviously have the run of Warner’s property and eagerly await their new homes. Warner has saved thousands of the spotted friends and plans to continue as long as needed.

The increased pop-ularity of the breed following the re lease of the Disney motion picture "101 Dalmatians" has had a down side.

Many people breed Dalmatians intending to capitalize on the movies’ popularity without thinking about the dog’s temperament or needs and place them in the wrong homes. Parents wanting to make their children happy bought Dalmatian puppies and later found they are high strung and need tremendous amounts of attention.

"It wound up with a glut on the market with Dalmatians", Park said, adding wryly, that those movies should come with a warning. "Do not go out and buy the animals depicted in this movie!!"

As for Warner, the die is cast. "I don’t ask for donations, I pay for their food and vet costs and take tremendous efforts in finding the right homes for them – just because I want to. I don’t want them to die unnecessarily, I just want to make sure the dogs like these are safe and find a lovable home somewhere and will do whatever I can.  It makes me angry that the county governments are more about ‘money owed’ than about the ignorance of their residents and the safety of these animals".

Warner has his hopes set on forming an organization to help school students in America to understand that all the problems of homeless pets which need to be killed in our dog pounds, is a solvable problem through humane education clubs he hopes to help form.   He wants the children to understand the only reason we continue to see these problems is due to irresponsible and apathetic decisions we adults have made - that they have the power to change it all.

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                                      Residents in Three Counties Speak Out in Support

Judge/Commissioner Loree Supports Warner in Court

Press-Enterprise

Thursday, May 15, 1997

Judge seeing Spots is off case

By Sandy Stokes

Staff Writer Press-Enterprise

Taking care of those dogs may make Warner a law-breaker, but at least one commissioner was moved by his efforts.

Lake Elsinore, CA.  Bringing the likes of Randy Warner to justice takes a judge with no soft spots for spotted dogs, a Lake Elsinore court commissioner decided Wednesday.

It seems the case against Warner should have been a slam dunk.  Warner, who rescues Dalmatians, from dog pounds, admits he broke the law, but says he can’t afford the fee.  He had nine dogs at his house when Riverside County Animal Control officer Brian Bealer wrote him a $130 citation in February for keeping more than four dogs.

Bealer came to court with new evidence, a Press-Enterprise story and picture reporting that Warner had 14 dogs in his house last week, In part because of the aftermath of a short lived affection for the dogs by those who saw the movie, “101 Dalmatians”.

Warner frequently runs afoul of the law and has been jailed because he doesn’t let dog ordinances limits stand in the way of his rescue work. 

Lawbreaker or not, Warner found the court to be in his corner Wednesday and this isnt’ the first time he has found his celebrity followed him into the courtroom.  2 years ago,  Orange County Judge also refused to hear his case stating “This is not justice and I will not have it in my courtroom” and dismissed all charges levied against Warner.

As he left the courtroom, bailiff Dick Davis handed him $2, apologizing that it was all the money he had on him.  The kindness moved Warner to tears.  “I don’t know what to day” he said.

His pooch count changes daily.  On Wednesday, he had 11 dogs at his house. Several of the 15 dogs he had last week have found new homes and he has even taken in  a few more. He can be reached through his dog training business at 714-565-3339.

Now judicial officials have to find a judge indifferent to Dalmatians.  During the judge search, Warner has promised to work with the county animal control officials who say a kennel license could solve all his legal problems.

Judges are required to take themselves off the case when they can’t be impartial.  “It’s rare, though,” Loree said.  “I’d be surprised if it happened once in 10,000 cases, and yet this guy has seen it twice in 2 years and in 2 different counties

By Sandy Stokes, Staff Reporter

                           Good Deeds Lead To Spot Of Trouble

If it has a wet nose and lots of spots, Randy Warner can’t turn it away. That’s where the trouble starts. In the last two years, the Menifee man’s affinity for Dalmatian dogs has put him before the judge more times than he would like to admit to. Today, Warner is expected to answer his 43^rd  and most recent county citation for failure to get a kennel license. At the time it was issued, Warner was keeping 32 Dalmatians in his house. Under Riverside County rules, anyone with more than four dogs must get a kennel license. Anyone with 10 or more must build a kennel that has a food preparation area, separate septic system, individual dog runs and handicapped facilities as the county would then view him as commercial. (handicapped parking and bathroom would be required in his small rental home)

Warner has beaten all but one of his previous county citations. He has had some help from various judges who have followed his efforts in newspapers and magazines over recent years and both refused to hear the case against Warner and simply dismissed the charges stating that Warner should be made a hero and not a criminal. But county animal control threatens to seek an injunction against him if he does not comply. Warner could face contempt of court charges according to the country animal control officer. Warner assures them that while he’s winning approval from the courts, there will be no contempt charges levied against him.

Others who rescue animals from dog pounds don’t argue with Warner’s view that Dalmatians are known to be high energy dogs and tend to become aggressive if kept contained or not allowed to run and socialize. But they say they comply with the kennel laws – either by limiting their dogs to the legal number or by building kennels even though their dogs don’t stay in them either.

Ian Dalgetty, manager of the Riverside County Animal Control agency, said most people, once they learn of the rules, do the same and end up complying. "We go out and tell them and they say, "Oh, I didn’t know" and they go and get a kennel license." He said.

"All the people we give kennel licenses to, we go by and make sure the dogs are being fed and watered and make sure they are able to take care of them" Dalgetty said. Many animal cruelty cases stem from people with good intentions trying to rescue more animals than they are able to care for, Dalgetty said. Then went on to say that this is not, nor ever has been any evidence that Warner neglects or is unable to care for his dogs. Quite the contrary, but they worry that he may be approaching a time when his dog population outstrips his ability to feed and care for them."

Each time he has been cited by the county, Warner has had more dogs. His first citation in February 1997 was for keeping 12 dogs. When he was cited in May 1998, he had 17. His third and fourth citations were for having 21 and 33 respectively. But Warner is quick to note that none of them are the same dogs as he had then, as he is constantly placing the dogs he obtained a couple months prior. So far only his first citation to which he pleads guilty, has resulted in a penalty of $45. But the judge quickly waived the fine stating he felt it could be better spent on dog food.

Dalgetty said animal control is not on a mission to shut down Warner. "We just want him to comply with the laws" He said he hopes Warner can find sponsors to help him establish a kennel so that he can continue rescuing the Dalmatians. When questioned about the additional fees which seem to stand in Warner’s way, Dalgetty said he wasn’t aware of them till now. After speaking with Warner’s landlord, it was made very clear that he will not allow the construction of dog kennels and runs as he does not want his property to be viewed as a dog pound.

Others who save the spotted dogs admire Warner’s work, but worry he may be risking too much by flouting the law. "I think people would take him more seriously if he became a corporation and had a tax exempt status… It would be a real tragedy for the Dalmatians if he was not permitted to do rescue anymore," said Terri Haase, president of Save the Dalmatians of California, a non profit organization that keeps track of Dalmatians in 38 shelters in Riverside, San Bernadino, Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego Counties. Warner contends that the county should not force those who are helping in such a way, to pay such outrageous land use permits and additional fees. The license is only $260 per year, but the remaining $10,000 is various county fees and costs.

He and a dozen supporters unsuccessfully lobbied the county Board of Supervisors for an exemption from the kennel requirements. Supervisors told Warner that he must comply with the law. Warner is convinced that the supervisors are simply not aware of the additional Ten grand required – they only know of the $260 license and didn’t understand his question. He is also aware that the overwhelming publicity he has been receiving over the past 2 years has been completely one sided in his favor, making the board of supervisors quite uneasy.

On the same day he addressed the supervisors, Warner received his most recent citation along side the freeway on his way home. The administering officer explained that he was instructed to give Warner a citation and have it on the supervisor’s desk by 2pm when he had to leave.

"I’ve never seen a case where they cite one person for the same violation over and over," said attorney Robert Newman, who is representing Warner for free. "With all these failed prosecutions and the courts actually deciding in Warner’s favor so far, it would seem at some point, it’s simply vindictive prosecution," he said. "Here’s a man saving animals who would otherwise be mistreated or euthanized, taking these animals in, not costing taxpayers to feed them, house them or euthanize them and this is who they target," said Newman.

The 45-year-old Warner grew up in a farming community in Ohio and says he rescued his first Dalmatian, AJA, more than 20 years ago. Aja was about to be put to death because she didn’t have the trademark polka dots preferred by breeders. "She was so beautiful and so angelic, though" Warner said. Unbeknownst to him, she was also pregnant. The dog gave birth to 17 puppies 2 days after moving into his first Hollywood apartment. Warner kept one and eventually placed the rest. It was after that when people began contacting him to find homes for their unwanted Dalmatians and he began to notice a pattern of ignorance in those who had gotten Dalmatians.

Now Warner has dozens of exuberant, dust and mud covered spotted dogs running in and out of his house and digging holes in his yard. Occasionally a tiff between two dogs will break out, but Warner jumps in and stops it, earning his respect from the dogs one more time. He says his dogs are convinced that he is the top dog. If they disagree, Warner, a dog trainer who specializes in curing dogs of aggressive behavior, pounces on them and bites them on the snout if necessary.

He said he lives like a Spartan on donations and money he earns from training dogs at $500 to 1,000 per dog. His $1,200 a month dog food bill is mostly covered by donations from a corporate sponsor and food manufacturer, Nutro Pet Foods. Also he keeps three dogs whose owners didn’t want them anymore and were simply non adoptable, but, pay Warner $150 a month to keep them.

Warner says dogs come in faster than he can find homes for them. Three years ago, Dalmatians’ popularity soared with the release of Disney’s "101 Dalmatians". With demand on the decline, Warner and others say the dogs are harder to place now because they’ve simply gone out of style now. Only a fraction of those who find themselves in the pound, are fortunate enough to ever be rescued.

Haase estimates that more than 10,000 Dalmatians go through area animal shelters annually. Nearly 8,000 of them don’t make it out alive. That is why she doesn’t want Warner’s operation to shut down.

Attorney Pam Anderson of the Riverside County counsel’s office said ordinarily the worst penalty Warner could get if convicted is a $100 fine. It’s just an infraction. But, because this is a continuing course of conduct, an injunction may be in order" Anderson said. With a court order to quit breaking the law. Warner could face more serious contempt charges if he doesn’t build a kennel or get rid of his dogs. She agreed that with court proceedings favoring Warner in all cases so far, that is not likely for the near future.

To date, the County Of Riverside has spent over $40,000 in futile attempts to obtain a conviction against Warner to pay the $100 fine.

Gladys Cox, a Dalmatian rescuer in the San Francisco Bay area, said Warner is a unique individual and really knows Dalmatians. He is very gifted in dealing with them and I truly admire him for that. Most other rescuers have families, jobs and neighbors and can’t live with 35 Dalmatians. Especially if they were allowed to roam freely around the premises. But, it certainly does work for Randy. If people don’t understand just what all he does for and with the animals, then they really don’t know Randy."

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