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Vol. 13, No. 1
Questions in police dog mauling by Ruth Roberts Staff Writer
A Brentwood man whose dog died from injuries sustained during an attack by an off-duty police dog is looking to authorities for answers to why the animal and its canine handler are still on the job. “It all happened so fast; it was just crazy,” said Adam Lovell, owner of Chloe, the Finnish Spitz show dog who died following the attack. “Nothing like this should ever, ever have happened.” According to Lovell, the attack took place on Dec. 26 on a walking trail near Sand Creek Road in Brentwood, where they met up with a group of children, adults and dogs. One of the animals was Arago, a German shepherd from the San Leandro canine unit, who was being walked by a family member of the dog’s handler. Lovell said that when he spotted the group coming toward him, he immediately put Chloe – who was leashed – on his left side in order to position himself in the middle. “I thought that would be
Photo courtesy of Adam Lovell
Chloe, a Finnish Spitz show dog, died Dec. 28 following an attack by an off-duty police dog on a walking trail in Brentwood. enough protection (for Chloe) if necessary,” wrote Lovell in an email Tuesday. “But all of a sudden the German shepherd lunged at Chloe, and the woman who was holding the dog on the leash started yelling, ‘I can’t control the dog, I can’t control the dog!’ When that
happened, the wife of the (police) handler pulled the dog off Chloe. It was all just a blur.” The Finnish Spitz was bitten five to six times on her rear, side and back and underwent three hours of emergency surgery. But despite the veterinarian’s best efforts, Chloe
died two days later. Lovell said the owners of the police dog – who also live in Brentwood – paid for all the medical bills. But Lovell insists it’s not about the money. “They were very nice and said they were sorry and that they would take care of all the expenses,” said Lovell. “But sorry goes only so far. They can’t give me back my dog.” Lovell can’t understand why the department is allowing what he considers an unstable dog – along with his owner, who allowed someone else to handle the K-9 – to remain working while the investigation is underway. “I understand that it’s being looked into, but this should never have happened,” said Lovell. “The officer should never have let someone else handle his dog. Why would they allow the dog to go back to work after something like this? It’s crazy.” And at least one local police officer agrees with Lovell. “To me this whole thing doesn’t make sense,” said the officer who asked
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January 7, 2011
This Week Counting on compassion
The first step in obtaining funding for the homeless is going out and getting a grip on their numbers. Page 7A
Goodwill soldiering Beanie babies are being recruited for distribution to Afghani kids by U.S. troops. Page 4A
Tickled by the pickle
see Police dog page 22A
Vasco accident claims Brentwood man by Ruth Roberts Staff Writer
Marco Ortiz, a Brentwood resident and Alameda County Sheriff’s deputy, was killed Dec. 30 when his minivan overturned on Vasco Road.
Services were pending Tuesday for Marco Ortiz of Brentwood, an Alameda County Sheriff deputy killed when his car overturned on Vasco Road Dec. 30. Ortiz, 33, died when his vehicle rolled over near Los Vaqueros Road at about 1:15 a.m. “This is a real tragedy and has hit the agency hard,” said Sgt. James Nelson of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department. “He was a wonderful employee, a wonderful deputy sheriff and an even better person. Being who he was and how beloved he was, this is a very difficult time for everyone.” According to reports, the 10-year veteran who worked at the patrol station in San Leandro was returning home to Brentwood at the time of the crash. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Traffic on the
Photo courtesy of Legacy.com
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A casting call has been issued for a production of “The Secret Garden.”
roadway was shut down in the northbound direction for three hours while the scene was cleared. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. “All we know right now is that he hit an embankment and that caused the car to flip,” said Nelson. “We don’t know if he was ill, if he fell asleep – we just don’t know. The car is being examined to see if there was a malfunction, but as to the cause of the accident, that’s something we may never know.” Ortiz is the first fatality on Vasco Road in four years, but the 16th death since 2000. Construction on the hazardous stretch of road is currently underway to improve the 1.5-mile section in the Brushy Creek area roughly three miles from the Contra Costa/Alameda County line. The road is being widened to accommodate a median barsee Vasco page 22A
Chow champ
go to news/press releases Calpine recently made a deposit in a regional food bank to the tune of $10,000.
A new sport is attracting throngs of enthusiasts, and seniors are championing the cause. Page 1B
Plus: Business .............................14A Calendar ............................ 19B Classifieds ......................... 13B Cop Logs ............................17A Entertainment ................. 11B Food .................................... 10B Health & Beauty ................ 8B Milestones ........................18A Opinion ..............................16A Sports ................................... 1B
FOR MOVIE TIMES SEE PAGE 5A
Viral vocals
go to multimedia/videos A homeless man’s dulcet tones have enchanted 4.5 million YouTube viewers.