After allegations of animal abuse and neglect the owner of Serenity Ridge Farm defended her business against complaints made by some of her former clients.
Serenity Ridge is a horse boarding facility in Pullman, WA and owner and manager of the stable Katie Peet-Walker said the allegations were “malicious,” “frustrating” and “disappointing.”
Whitman County Sheriff Brett Meyers said he received a concerned phone call regarding animal neglect at the stable earlier this year. When he went out to the farm to investigate it he said he found the claim to be unfounded.
“I didn’t see anything that rose to the level of concern where we would get involved,” he said.
Meyers said often times people have different definitions of neglect however he found nothing criminal.
The Whitman County Sheriff’s Office received a similar complaint in September of last year, he said. A different officer investigated the claim, but concluded it was also unfounded.
Since January, about 10 clients have taken their horses from Serenity Ridge, former boarders Erika Matson and Alexa Rolin said.
Walker said that number is not true and only five clients have left since then. She also said many clients at the stable are happy with it and love being there.
In her first phone conversation with the Daily Evergreen, Walker said she was “in the middle of a lawsuit” against some of her former clients. Later when she met with the Daily Evergreen she said she had not filed charges yet but is working with a lawyer to see if they have a case.
“We are exploring a libel case just because we don’t want it to impact future relations,” she said. “It’s a small town. There is no basis for the very malicious attack.”
Regional investigator for the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Zan Deery said they are also investigating a pattern of complaints with the farm.
“We’ve gotten enough complaints to raise a red flag,” Deery said.
Serenity Ridge is doing their best to work with the BBB, Walker said, however she has doubts they will reach an agreement.
“We don’t see that we will ever get to the same page because the complaints are so malicious,” she said.
Walker alleged most of the complaints were written late at night, after “dinner parties” and after the complainants had “gotten drunk.” She also said former clients came drunk to barn meetings.
“There is only so much you can do when the requests are just so absolutely ridiculous,” Walker said.
A main concern of many former clients was the weight loss of the horses due to the feed, former boarder and WSU veterinary graduate student Melissa Best said.
“The hay she was feeding (the horses) was really sub-standard,” she said. “(Walker) had tried to grow and harvest it herself.”
Walker insisted the quality of the hay was not sub-standard and there is no way to know its nutritional value by looking at it, she said.
Another former client Alexa Rolin said she was also concerned about her horses’ weight loss.
She began boarding at the farm in August 2009 and had no complaints for the majority of her time there, she said. However she said she kept a close eye on her horses because she began to suspect they were not fed or given water on a regular basis.
“After winter break I came back (this year) and both of my horses had lost quite a bit of weight,” she said.
Walker said it was not uncommon for horses to lose weight during the winter because of the weather. She also said she does not think any horse on the farm was emaciated.
Last summer another former boarder at Serenity Ridge said her horse also lost a significant amount of weight in a short period of time.
Senior communication major Amy Dean said she and two friends boarded their horses at the stable for a few months but left earlier than planned due to dissatisfaction.
“We found our horses without water a lot of the time and it was 90 degrees last summer,” Dean said.
Walker said the problems were due to miscommunications because the agreement with Dean and her friends for pasture board, and the stable’s only responsibility was to provide water, not food.
“This is a boarding facility but your horse is your responsibility,” she said. “If you are not communicating to the management what you need than it is not going to get changed.”
Another former client Erika Matson said she kept her horse at the stable for about three months before she left in early March.
When she arrived, she said there were a lot of things promised to her by Walker that were not provided.
“Pretty soon stalls weren’t being cleaned and horses weren’t being fed,” Matson said. “So after that we had to take care of our own horses but still pay for a full-care facility. Things really just went downhill.”
Walker said she thought it was unfair the focus was on her farm because many other stables in the Pullman area have issues as well.
“The sad truth is that there isn’t anywhere to go in Pullman,” Walker said.
Many people have to do their own horse care but pay full board, she said. A lot of students at first have unrealistic expectations because they come from places where they pay a lot more money, and then come to Pullman and are shocked by how much work is required of them.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Secret
I think most of the people I interview are full of shit. And I think people who ask me if they can be "anonymous sources" are cowards.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
No.
The copy editor and editor did not know about the letter to the judge.
Also, she was in the public eye for five years, making her a public figure. Even though she is a limited public figure, she put herself into fame and wanted to be famous by going onto American Idol.
Her husband was also on a reality TV show, which adds more fame to their job.
Her drug abuse and alcoholism was a very public issue when she was in the public eye.
Also, she was in the public eye for five years, making her a public figure. Even though she is a limited public figure, she put herself into fame and wanted to be famous by going onto American Idol.
Her husband was also on a reality TV show, which adds more fame to their job.
Her drug abuse and alcoholism was a very public issue when she was in the public eye.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Feature story
Frozen pipes, mold, mice, and floods were all problems junior communication major Jacob Kenna and his six roommates faced this year while living in their rental house.
When they moved in, the house was dirty, and there was trash left behind by the previous tenants.
They also had mice in their kitchen.
These types of problems are common complaints of students who rent and live in the older buildings and houses on College Hill.
Many students when considering where to live make their priority the location of the house instead of the quality and condition of it, WSU’s Director of Student Assistance Programs, Karen Fischer said.
A lot of the houses closer to campus are older and create many problems for students, she said.
During the sudden cold snap in February, the pipes in Kenna’s house froze and then later burst, flooding the basement of the house.
It took two weeks until the all of the water was cleaned up by their rental agency.
Kenna said he and his roommates called their agency, DRA Real Estate, regarding the stagnant water numerous times.
The owner and manager of the DRA, Kathy Wilson said there was flooding and frozen pipes at Kenna’s residence, however she feels the agency responded appropriately.
She said when she sent people to clean up the water, the basement was so full of the tenant’s stuff it was impossible to clean up all of it.
“When I sent people to clean it up no (tenants) would get out of bed to move the stuff in the basement,” Wilson said. “They have so much stuff down there that they couldn’t clean up the water. You can’t clean up water if you can’t get to it.”
Wilson said she never allows her tenants to live in these types of conditions; unless they chose to do so.
“They weren’t ignored when there was water all over their floor,” Wilson said. “But they declined to get up and help us move anything. I simply can’t hire people to go move their stuff.”
When the weather gets cold and pipes begin to freeze, Wilson said she keeps plumbers on-call because frozen pipes are sometimes unavoidable.
She doesn’t consider frozen pipes to be the tenant’s fault as long as they have taken all the precautionary measures to avoid it, such as leaving the heat on to at least 60 degrees.
This year, she did not charge any of her tenants including Kenna, for the cost and damage of frozen pipes.
These types of problems, as well as other issues students have when living off-campus is a serious concern for the dean of students’ office, Fischer said.
Some of these issues she hoped could be avoided by informing students and new tenants about their legal rights and giving them advice during WSU’s housing fair.
Another tenant of the DRA and a junior mechanical engineering major Aaron Martz, said in the past he has been involved in legal disputes with rental agencies and he believes the university should do something to help protect students from bad rental situations.
“I don’t know why someone with more power doesn’t do something,” Martz said. “It’s hard for college students to go to court and spend the time and the money.”
Fischer said a few years ago there was an idea for the creation of a program affiliated with WSU that would keep rental properties and agencies who rented to students accountable for the quality of housing they provide.
However the idea never moved forward because the university does not have the legal right to inspect private residences or properties.
“There are codes for the city to regulate,” she said. “If you don’t have a safe premise, and it doesn’t meet code, then you can contact the city and request an inspection.”
Dan Harlander, a Pullman building inspector said college students seldom file a complaint or a request for an inspection.
“Their mothers come in after the students have already rented the place,” he said. “That’s when problems happen.”
The health and safety of DRA’s tenants are Wilson’s main priority in her business. She said she believes every property managed by the DRA meets Pullman’s building and fire codes.
“Every one of my tenants deserves to have a house that is safe and healthy,” Wilson said. “And I believe we provide that.”
Sources
Kathy Wilson
DRA Real Estate
Phone:(509) 334-7700
Karen Fischer
Dean of Students’ Office
509-335-6665
Jacob Kenna
Communication Major
503-984-1576
Dan Harlander
Pullman building inspector
509-338-3230
Aaron Martz
Mechanical engineering major
509-387-1538
When they moved in, the house was dirty, and there was trash left behind by the previous tenants.
They also had mice in their kitchen.
These types of problems are common complaints of students who rent and live in the older buildings and houses on College Hill.
Many students when considering where to live make their priority the location of the house instead of the quality and condition of it, WSU’s Director of Student Assistance Programs, Karen Fischer said.
A lot of the houses closer to campus are older and create many problems for students, she said.
During the sudden cold snap in February, the pipes in Kenna’s house froze and then later burst, flooding the basement of the house.
It took two weeks until the all of the water was cleaned up by their rental agency.
Kenna said he and his roommates called their agency, DRA Real Estate, regarding the stagnant water numerous times.
The owner and manager of the DRA, Kathy Wilson said there was flooding and frozen pipes at Kenna’s residence, however she feels the agency responded appropriately.
She said when she sent people to clean up the water, the basement was so full of the tenant’s stuff it was impossible to clean up all of it.
“When I sent people to clean it up no (tenants) would get out of bed to move the stuff in the basement,” Wilson said. “They have so much stuff down there that they couldn’t clean up the water. You can’t clean up water if you can’t get to it.”
Wilson said she never allows her tenants to live in these types of conditions; unless they chose to do so.
“They weren’t ignored when there was water all over their floor,” Wilson said. “But they declined to get up and help us move anything. I simply can’t hire people to go move their stuff.”
When the weather gets cold and pipes begin to freeze, Wilson said she keeps plumbers on-call because frozen pipes are sometimes unavoidable.
She doesn’t consider frozen pipes to be the tenant’s fault as long as they have taken all the precautionary measures to avoid it, such as leaving the heat on to at least 60 degrees.
This year, she did not charge any of her tenants including Kenna, for the cost and damage of frozen pipes.
These types of problems, as well as other issues students have when living off-campus is a serious concern for the dean of students’ office, Fischer said.
Some of these issues she hoped could be avoided by informing students and new tenants about their legal rights and giving them advice during WSU’s housing fair.
Another tenant of the DRA and a junior mechanical engineering major Aaron Martz, said in the past he has been involved in legal disputes with rental agencies and he believes the university should do something to help protect students from bad rental situations.
“I don’t know why someone with more power doesn’t do something,” Martz said. “It’s hard for college students to go to court and spend the time and the money.”
Fischer said a few years ago there was an idea for the creation of a program affiliated with WSU that would keep rental properties and agencies who rented to students accountable for the quality of housing they provide.
However the idea never moved forward because the university does not have the legal right to inspect private residences or properties.
“There are codes for the city to regulate,” she said. “If you don’t have a safe premise, and it doesn’t meet code, then you can contact the city and request an inspection.”
Dan Harlander, a Pullman building inspector said college students seldom file a complaint or a request for an inspection.
“Their mothers come in after the students have already rented the place,” he said. “That’s when problems happen.”
The health and safety of DRA’s tenants are Wilson’s main priority in her business. She said she believes every property managed by the DRA meets Pullman’s building and fire codes.
“Every one of my tenants deserves to have a house that is safe and healthy,” Wilson said. “And I believe we provide that.”
Sources
Kathy Wilson
DRA Real Estate
Phone:(509) 334-7700
Karen Fischer
Dean of Students’ Office
509-335-6665
Jacob Kenna
Communication Major
503-984-1576
Dan Harlander
Pullman building inspector
509-338-3230
Aaron Martz
Mechanical engineering major
509-387-1538
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
1. “Megan Fox is a man!” Headline on Weekly World News Web site
- Not if it is parody.
2. “Up until the day he died, he was a brilliant writer. But the drugs made him a thief, a pimp and a liar,” said friend Karen Smith, who was with Johnson at the time of his death.
- No because he is dead.
3. “In my opinion, Kevin is a murdering rapist,” the prosecutor told the jury.
- no because it is in court (?)
4. "In my opinion, he's a murdering rapist," the man said at the rally.
- yes.. if he is found not guilty. (even though it's opinion it can still be found to be true or false, therefore it can still be libelous and sometimes opinion can be as damaging as presenting it as 'fact')
- Not if it is parody.
2. “Up until the day he died, he was a brilliant writer. But the drugs made him a thief, a pimp and a liar,” said friend Karen Smith, who was with Johnson at the time of his death.
- No because he is dead.
3. “In my opinion, Kevin is a murdering rapist,” the prosecutor told the jury.
- no because it is in court (?)
4. "In my opinion, he's a murdering rapist," the man said at the rally.
- yes.. if he is found not guilty. (even though it's opinion it can still be found to be true or false, therefore it can still be libelous and sometimes opinion can be as damaging as presenting it as 'fact')
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Murrow Symposium Ledes
The key to a successful media career is forming an identity that cuts through the clutter, Eric Johnson from KOMO TV.
One constant of journalism is change, the assistant managing editor of the Seattle Times Eric Ulken said during the Murrow Symposium Tuesday.
One constant of journalism is change, the assistant managing editor of the Seattle Times Eric Ulken said during the Murrow Symposium Tuesday.
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