WTOL Editorial: Tom Skeldon deserves to keep his job
14 Nov 2009
If you missed this, on WTOL, some of the points made, especially in relation to what the real problem is as to why so many dogs are being killed, have been made here. Part of the editorial:
Dog Warden Tom Skeldon does not deserve to be fired. He is cooperating fully with the advisory committee. Now, if he refuses to make changes, then it’s a different story.
Let’s face it: He is in a no-win situation. His primary job is law enforcement. He is not an agent of the Humane Society. His daily job is different from that organization’s.
Agree with WTOL at this point. Skeldon’s job is different from
Humane Society, Save A Pet, or other
organizations.
Skeldon has been co-operating with
Commissioners and Committee since
it began.
How is Skeldon or any Dog Warden to
keep and feed thousands of puppies
and dogs on the Dog Warden’s budget??
No one has ever loved their dog
more than I loved mine and never
wanted anything to happen to her
or any other dog; however, Skeldon
needs to follow the law as he
interprets it and if others prove
he is not following the law then that
is other matter.
As I have stated before, people
November 14th, 2009 at 8:56 amthemselves need to become more
responsible for caring for their
own pets and contributes to so many
strays and other dogs.
I would assert the Mr. Skeldon’s main job is returning licensed lost pets to their owners. License fees are not cheap. Along with ID chips in many dogs today, I say “scan for a chip” and advise the owner that their dog has been found.
Today’s “daily local” highlights thoughts of a boycott of license purchases until changes/improvements have been made and verified. I hope it doesn’t come to that…
There is also mention that 5 suggestions for improvement in 2007 were ignored. Disturbing if true.
By reputation (PERCEPTION) for many years, some employees at the pound must have graduated from the “Sue Frederick Charm School.” I have never heard a positive story/rumor about the pound.
Do all employees have job descriptions? What are the budget details? Audit results? Performance reviews? etc. etc.
Will wait for the Advisory Group recommendations…then we will watch to see what happens…but not for long.
Tick..Tick..Tick..
November 14th, 2009 at 11:16 amThe duties of a dog warden are here. The only reference to returning lost dogs…
Whenever any person files an affidavit in a court of competent jurisdiction that there is a dog running at large that is not kept constantly confined either in a registered dog kennel or on the premises of an institution or organization of the type described in section 955.16 of the Revised Code or that a dog is kept or harbored in the warden’s jurisdiction without being registered as required by law, the court shall immediately order the warden to seize and impound the dog. Thereupon the warden shall immediately seize and impound the dog complained of. The warden shall give immediate notice by certified mail to the owner, keeper, or harborer of the dog seized and impounded by the warden, if the owner, keeper, or harborer can be determined from the current year’s registration list maintained by the warden and the county auditor of the county where the dog is registered, that the dog has been impounded and that, unless the dog is redeemed within fourteen days of the date of the notice, it may thereafter be sold or destroyed according to law. If the owner, keeper, or harborer cannot be determined from the current year’s registration list maintained by the warden and the county auditor of the county where the dog is registered, the officer shall post a notice in the pound or animal shelter both describing the dog and place where seized and advising the unknown owner that, unless the dog is redeemed within three days, it may thereafter be sold or destroyed according to law.
November 14th, 2009 at 11:25 amI agree with W.T.O.L. and Sue
November 14th, 2009 at 12:02 pmThanx Lisa….
Rhetorically I ask….
Certified mail?? I wonder if this is being done…
Postage budget?
I wonder what % of the dogs “found” are properly licensed?
Are their records computerized?
November 14th, 2009 at 12:33 pmFood Cost??
How and how much do Vets get paid
November 14th, 2009 at 12:51 pmwhen a dog needs their care??
A voice of sanity from the press will not stop this campaign to destroy the dog warden for doing his job. This publisher will demand his removal and spin the truth until he gets his way. He will not stop the contrived crisis until he insites riots to win this fight he has manufactured and created.
The announcement Chirdon should have made was channel 11’s decision to disolve the partnership with the daily due to their unethical practices of editorializing rather than reporting the news.
When will the leadership of this community be outraged enough to stop this publisher from destroying the reputations of those who live and work in this city?
November 14th, 2009 at 2:06 pmI simply find it amusing that so much concern, including that of The Blade and Com. Konop is focused on the job being done under the budget of Dog Warden Tom Skeldon and so little on that being done under the budget of Sheriff Telb.
Should it be of greater concern to Lucas County residents how dogs are treated or how voters are? With the recent announcements that local communities will no longer be receiving patrols from the sheriff as of January 1, perhaps the furor surrounding the Dog Warden’s office is little more than a storm in a teacup.
I don’t believe that anyone in this discussion is advocating or excusing any form of animal abuse. Can the same however be said for citizen abuse?
November 14th, 2009 at 3:23 pmLet’s get back to the WTOL editorial. It seems like a reasonable position. Give Skeldon the chance to cooperate with the Serchuk committee, but if he doesn’t, …
November 14th, 2009 at 4:27 pmI do not believe a lot I read in
the Blade or really anything written or spoken any
where. I read or hear something and if
it is something I am interested in or
it seem important I read about it
else where and check it out at other
places on my own.
I also do not really believe that
the Blade is out to ruin certain
individuals reputations.
The Blade has certain individuals who
influence them and they have
interests of their own they will put first as well as
WTOL along with the other tv stations.
The Blade and everything else main
objective is to sell papers and
stay in business.
By the way, does anyone know what
November 14th, 2009 at 7:48 pmRoberta DeBoer is doinging now??
It would have been very interesting
to see what she would say about
the Dog Warden issue since her
dog has always been close to her
heart!
Dr. Bob Esplin is reckless to even suggest in The Blade Saturday to dog owners that they should stop paying for dog licenses in protest of Skeldon. If dog owners do as he says, their dogs are at greater risk of being put down if they run away, since Skeldon puts unlicensed dogs down in just three days. In addition, what will happen when these dog owners get slapped with a huge fine by the county when it learns their dogs do not have tags? I agree with WTOL. Give Skeldon a chance to make changes. If he ignores them, then fire him. But please don’t inflame the matter by not paying for your dog’s tags.
November 15th, 2009 at 12:26 amIn today’s Blade there is a letter to the editor from PETA supporting the dog warden!
LisaRenee, you make an excellent point(#3). Contrary, to the believe of some, a county dog warden does not have the same function as a humane society. A dog warden is a law enforcement officer whose statutory purpose is to enforce the dog control laws.
It was very interesting to read the list of dogs killed that was in yesterday’s paper. What struck me was how many of the dogs were surrendered by the owners and the reasons for the surrender.
I’m not sure of the Blade’s purpose in putting that list in the paper, but it convinced me that the Blade’s criticism of the dog warden is wrong.
November 15th, 2009 at 7:55 amFinally…a media source (other than GCJ) that actually gets what the Warden’s job is about and is talking facts more than emotion (or fiction, when it comes to the blade). The blade could use a a major lesson in this area…
What’s interesting in this whole fiasco is that the Blade and WTOL are supposed to be ‘media partners.’ Seems that one partner prefers facts, while the other prefers, well, you get the idea…
I think the advisory committee is a great idea–it is a great way to gather ideas, disseminate info, and put plans into action.
Hang in there, Warden…keep the good work.
November 15th, 2009 at 5:10 pmGreat comment Micki!
Maybe we need to get in contact
November 15th, 2009 at 6:48 pmwith Esplin’s dog owner customers
and encourage them not to pay
Esplin’s bills!!
Common – You’re on board apparently with the “be satisfied with the bare minimum” bandwagon. To repeat: No one disputes that Skeldon does what the law requires – capture stray dogs and hold them for the required period of time. However, he does far less than what other dog wardens do. Christ, it was like pulling ttteh even for the guy to start scanning captured dogs for microchip IDs. He only succumbed after pressure from Ben Konop and the donation of the necessary equipment from a concened vet.
I again ask: would you consciously select a doctor who graduated last in his class from an unaccredited medical school in the Caribbean? Even if that doctor passed his boards, and thus met the bare minimum to practice medicine, I sure as hell wouldn’t seek him out. Similarly, enough people in Lucas County are fed up with Skeldon’s bare minimum performance, especially when the dog license fees are the highest in the state. It is not wrong to be asking for more. And if Skeldon can’t deliver, then find someone who can.
November 15th, 2009 at 10:58 pmThe last time you made that comparison, it was pointed out it’s not a valid one, Sujay, but let’s use your example for a moment. If someone doesn’t have health insurance, the hospital or doctor is only required to do the bare minimum to save that person’s life. No more…They have to follow procedures. They don’t do more than what is necessary.
The law is clear on what the duties of a Dog Warden are, if people want more? They need to change the law, just as if people wanted doctors and hospitals to do more? Procedures would have to be changed.
November 15th, 2009 at 11:08 pmNo. Other dog wardens scan for microchips, don’t categorically kill all “pit bulls” (even puppies) regardless of their temperament (the law does not require that), and take more active measures to adopt out dogs. Why are you continually satisfied with the bare minimum? And what’s wrong with the Commissioners (you know, the people who hired Skeldon and pay his salary with the highest licensing fees in the state) demanding more from him? When Bell hires an economic development director, you’ll apparently be content with a seat warmer who performs the bare minimum. I, in contrast, hope he gets the best that he can – someone with a lot of experience in forging public-private partnerships and regional revenue sharing plans, etc.
As for your hospital analogy, last I checked hospitals are required to treat the condition that an ER patient patient comes in with, whether he’s insured or not. The “procedures” are the same. In any event, there’s nothing stopping a physician from administering more care to a patient if he sees fit. This means that the doctor can very well “do more than is necessary” if he so chooses. Similarly, nothing has stopped other dog wardens from “doing more than is necessary” – other dog wardens, that is, than Skeldon.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:07 amOnce again, micro chip scanning is not required by the law and there is no procedure in place for that. Those that are doing so are not following the ORC.
You made my point, they are only required to treat what is an emergency condition, not something more. To do more? They’d have to change their procedures. We accept that and some hospitals will turn a patient away and advise them to go to another hospital if it is not considered life threatening. We also accept that…
November 16th, 2009 at 12:15 amExceeding what the law requires is not tantamount to “not following” the law. Those who exceed what the law requires, in other words, comply with the law. They only do more.
Want another reason for Skeldon to do more? AS former city planner Michael Young pointed out in today’s paper, Skeldon is sneding out a troglodyte image of our city — just what we don’t need when trying to attract investment and smart, progressive people to town. Here’s an exceprt:
“It gets worse. This macabre theater has made national news just when Toledo desperately needs to project a progressive and contemporary face to the nation. Toledo has to compete every day with other towns to attract investment. But the arrogant and intellectually bankrupt actions of Warden Skeldon cast a shadow over Toledo.”
And no, a doctor need not “change their procedures” if he in his discretion wishes to administer more care to a particular patient than is “necessary.” That is why not all ER docs are the same. That is why you can change doctors if you don’t like him. And that is why we (though our commissioners) can change our dog warden if he doesn’t shape up.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:30 amThis became a media circus not because of Skeldon, so your blame is a bit misplaced. You used the physician argument which wasn’t a valid comparison, except to demonstrate that even in medicine, it’s about procedures, similar to laws.
We’ve had this discussion to the point where it’s circular, similar to past discussions. Bottom line is the duties of a dog warden are set by the ORC and the only way to legally change that is known. It’d be like you blaming police officers for not helping the elderly across the street, it’d be nice if they did, but they aren’t required to. Then if they were helping the elderly across the street, and didn’t catch the bad guy killing someone? It’d be their fault for going outside of their job…If Skeldon goes outside of his job without authority? It’s easy to see what parts of his job would not be done…
November 16th, 2009 at 12:34 am“If he doesn’t shape up”, Sujay? What exactly does that mean? What in YOUR estimation does Skeldon need to do to “shape up” since he’s followed the law to the tee? Define “Shape up”. What the daily has threatened or what you have determined?? Or is that one and the same?
November 16th, 2009 at 1:04 amskeldon is the whipping boy for the blade to try to revive konops ruined political fortunes, konop being totally embarrassed in his pathetic run for mayor. the blade compares the lucas county kill rate to rural counties which is apples and oranges. unfortunately, the kill rate in other urban areas is right in line with lucas county.
the comment about worrying about the warden’s budget while ignoring the sheriff’s budget is dead-on. we are being penny-wise and dollar-foolish listening to konop and the blade’s little game here.
the kills are heart-breaking for everyone including those at the wardens office. to trivialize it for political gain is shameful. rescue operation are at capacity and can not do more. people can not afford to adopt pets right now – that is where the excess number of animals came from. your taxes pay for the warden, their budget has been slashed BY KONOP, tax revenues are way down and you can not afford more taxes – sad but true, the economy is the reason for more kills and fewer adoptions.
the blade is nearing its last stand; the paper essentially has no value (they have been trying to sell but no takers) anymore EXCEPT for them to try to control politicians. john and alan make their money off buckeye cable and subsidize the paper with those huge profits. to stop the blocks, hurt buckeye cable!!
November 16th, 2009 at 9:44 amYeah Zimmy!
Back to my 3 second commercial…
Switch to AT&T, more channels, clearer picture, tape FOUR shows at one time and watch on any TV!! Faster internet, and it’s cheaper! Customer service assistance 24/7!!!
November 16th, 2009 at 4:30 pmMike (#21) – No, it’s not my estimation that Skeldon needs to shape up. It’s the unanimous “estimation” of the advisory committee, duly appointed by the county commissioners – you know, the people who sign Skeldon’s paycheck. And the committee, far from beign stacked with a bunch of inner-city pit bull trainers, consists of, among others, a police officer, a land developer, and lawyer Dale Emch, whose letter defending Skeldon to the hilt was printed in the Blade several months ago. Even these guys voted for the list of recommendations presented to the commissioners.
November 16th, 2009 at 9:43 pmLisa’s analogy about Skeldon’s doing the bare minimum (#20): “It’d be like you blaming police officers for not helping the elderly across the street, it’d be nice if they did, but they aren’t required to.”
Guess what? The Commmissioners, as is their prerogative, are about to require Skeldon to do more tahn the bare statutory minimum. And it’s about freakin’ time. And like WTOL says, give him a chance to lve up to these new standards. If he can do it, fine. But if he can’t, …
November 16th, 2009 at 9:48 pmThe Commissioners did not change his duties, hence? He did the job the way they required and according to the ORC…
November 16th, 2009 at 9:51 pmYour police officer analogy is off base. Individual police officers have no broad policy discretion to do more than is required. The dog warden, like any office holder, however, does have this discretion. That is why a police chief who does not use, say, community policing strategies, should probably be fired, even though those strategies are specifically outlined in his statutory duties. Another example: state attorney generals have statutorily set minimum duties. But since they run the show, they are free to go above and beyond those duties. This is why, for example, one would hire the pre-prostitution Eliot Spitzer (who broke all kinds of ground getting settlements from large Wall Street schemers). And it is why one would fire someone like Betty Montgomery (who, for example, instead of being the first state AG to sign the tobacco settlement, was the 40th, thus costing Ohio millions in settlement dollars) .
And, yes, the Commissioners, as Skeldon’s boss, can heighten his duties. The RC section on dog wardens provides only a floor of what he must do; it is silent on what additional duties the Commissioners may place on him. You continue to look at this from completely the wrong angle.
November 17th, 2009 at 8:44 amWe could debate off base comparisons versus off base comparisons and then re-hash the points we have already made to each other on this issue, Sujay.
Or? Leave it as is. The circular discussions are getting tiresome.
November 17th, 2009 at 11:42 amI don’t recall the advisory committee stating Skeldon must “shape up” Sujay. And I didn’t waste my time looking for it. If it’s a quote used by any of committee members please reference it.
In today’s hit and run report the daily tells the story of Mr. Good and his dog Annie. Instead of taking Annie to the Humane Society he takes poor Annie to the pound knowing and stating he knew his dog “could be put down once he surrendered her”.
Mr. Good realized he didn’t have enough time himself to properly care for the animal and allowed the poor dog to develop health issues, it walked with a limp due to a lame hip and had hair loss on her rear and skin rashes. Nice guy.
He dumps the poor sick dog at the pound and he thought what?? They were going to call in a specialist and have a party for Annie?? Or maybe he thought potential owners would be lining up to take her home??? Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mr. Good.
I guess eight days of the poor dog suffering with all those ailments wasn’t enough for Konop or the daily rag.
And this is the fault of the dog warden…
The more they report, the more they prove Skeldon’s difficult position with all the Mr. Good’s who can’t or won’t provide good, healthy environments for their animals. What else is Mr. Skeldon to do with all those sick and dangerous animals????
And Benny boy, get yourself down to the pound and adopt a dog or six or ten, you’ve obviously got a lot of time on your hands these days!
November 17th, 2009 at 2:00 pmAnd btw, Dr. Bob Esplin recanted his suggestion on 13ABC news last night. Without the Blah putting words in his mouth he is no longer suggesting dog owners should stop paying for dog licenses in protest of Skeldon. Perhaps he has realized he’s been had and used in his professional standing?
November 17th, 2009 at 9:17 pmMike, Esplin’s attorney is Fritz Byers, The Blade’s lawyer. Esplin loves publicity, and is always on tv or in The Blade for free advertising. Either Byers called The Blade to get his buddy free publicity, or vice versa. Either way, Esplin jumped the gun by promoting a reckless proposal to stop paying for dog tags. He didn’t expect to get the flack he got the following day. Now he says his proposal was “a knee jerk reaction.” For Esplin to urge the public to stop paying for dog tags to get back at the commissioners and Skeldon was truly reckless since it would have only increased the number of unlicensed dogs being euthanized if they were picked up by the warden and their owners didn’t claim them within three days. The guy should be ashamed of himself for urging such a stupid thing.
November 20th, 2009 at 2:22 amGood News Tom Skeldon is gone and all the poor animals that are alive are now safe from this Monster,and thousands of dogs(family pets) and puppies that he murdered also safe from him,where he is going one day advise him not to bother with taking a heater or any other warm clothing with him,it will be hot enough.Good Riddance.
smarock10@yahoo.com
November 21st, 2009 at 9:44 amThanks for the background information micki. This city is interesting…Fritz Byer is quite the back room operator for the daily and their evil vendettas. Fritz, Jerry and Ben have sold their souls to the devil and there is a special place in hell for all of them. I for one will rejoice when they are well on their way down there. God doesn’t like ugly.
November 22nd, 2009 at 4:14 pm