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6 thoughts on “Conflict of Interest: San Francisco Animal Control and Virginia Donohue -- Final Installment in Documentary Series

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  1. I like how in the video, the footage from the training facility, the dogs female owner appears to be scared from the moment she enters the room when the dog is still even in the crate. Her reaction is even more fearful when Tank is let out. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for her to be at home with that dog alone. I hope we get some updates over time about what happens with Tank.

    All the good actors in this documentary need to find the right young journalist who wants to blow the lid off of something. This documentary and all its other parts do a spectacular job of covering this corruption but unfortunately it hasn’t been enough to stop it.

    • I’m the owner of the facility.

      The owner wasn’t scared. She came in laughing and joking and very elevated.

      She didn’t follow any instructions to be calm. If you look closely she was laughing while Tank was jumping up on her.

      The entire incedent was very preventable.

      And we certainly aren’t actors.

      This is our business and our life.

      🙁

      • I think Cristy means actors in the general participation sense… not that you were playing up for the camera or attempting to deceive.
        Cristy’s opinion of what she saw is her own, and does not reflect the opinion of an experienced trainer.
        As a trainer myself falsely accused of abuse by a competitor and another by a former employer, I am deeply sympathetic about what happened to you, and the damage that slander does is often irrevocable. You have a video that shows a very “hands off” approach, pretty much impossible to abuse a dog in this manner. But I have seen this before time and time again between trainers trying to assaninate each other’s character, and one thing I have observed is the only types of trainers that do it offer all positive, non compulsion based, patience and time oriented programs. One thing you will rarely if ever see are two heavy handed, punishment based trainers accusing each other of abuse.
        I am very sorry about what happened to you. I know EXACTLY how you feel.

  2. Excellent piece. I hope it finds a large audience so it has a big impact. Unfortunately, AC is ignored by the public as “not important” (until a relative is mauled). This allows corruption and incompetence to breed like fleas in summer, even in large and wealthy municipalities like SF.

    Natasha – I have great sympathy for the position your business is in because of this. I’m not entirely convinced that dogs like Tank are worth the time and effort. I wish you continued success at being 100% accurate in your assessments and training.

  3. Virginia Donahue is the worst choice for director of ACC. I think she was chosen BECAUSE she owned PetCamp and they wanted her to help get the new shelter location opened. Under her so called leadership, previously collaborative relationships have turned hostile. SF relied on those partnerships to keep people & pets safer. It’s really sad how adversarial ACC has become w/VDDU. I’ve met & spoken w/ Denny both during & after his time as a hearing officer and he really cared. Donahue removed Denny as hearing officer because he put public safety ahead of political/self interests. (He was replaced by a racist white supremacist.) Most people have no idea how much not only they, but dogs, cats & wildlife pays the price for her incompetence. She really seems to not care. I hope she retires soon and gets replaced with someone more suited for the position. Thanks for these videos. SF is so corrupt.

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