cheese
08-18-2006, 08:17 PM
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/15/BAG88KIMET1.DTL&hw=louie&sn=002&sc=984
Andrew Louie will now be spending every night at home, eight months after the 7-year-old was taken by San Francisco social workers concerned about his safety around his pet pit bulls.
"I feel so good, at last he's coming home," said Valerie Louie, the child's mother, following a hearing Monday in the juvenile division of San Francisco Superior Court. "We've been waiting for this for so long. It almost seems like a dream."
In the closed two-hour hearing, Commissioner William Gargano told Louie that her son would remain a court dependent for the next six months, which allows San Francisco Child Protective Services to make unannounced home visits, Louie told The Chronicle. Gargano also stipulated that Andrew is not permitted to have contact with Cricket, a 3-year-old pit bull mix that has lived with the family since it was a pup.
"He was very kind," said Louie, 45, a nurse at Oakland's Highland Hospital emergency room. "He said he knows Andrew loves the dog and that the two grew up together, but he just did not want Cricket living with us.
Louie said she would redouble her efforts to find an adoptive home for Cricket.
The Louie family came to the attention of city officials in April 2005 when Cricket and Frances, also a pit bull mix, slipped out the front door and Cricket bit a neighbor's dog on the ear. The dogs, which had been spayed and neutered, were declared "vicious and dangerous" and underwent evaluations.
Although the dogs had never harmed Andrew or anyone else, animal behaviorists grew alarmed at Andrew's rough play with Cricket during the evaluations.
And in subsequent months, after both dogs were banned from the Louie home, Louie brought each dog back for a brief time. Mistrustful of the mother and fearing for the boy, in December child welfare workers removed Andrew from his Richmond District home. Andrew was allegedly sexually abused at a foster home and then placed in a relative's home. The dogs were gone from Louie's home the entire time Andrew was living elsewhere. Frances has since been adopted by another family.
Since Andrew was taken, Louie, has filed a claim against the city and undergone numerous therapy and parenting sessions. A court-ordered psychological evaluation of her in March determined that Louie had "learned her lesson" and strongly urged that Andrew be allowed to go home.
But not until July was Andrew allowed to spend the night at home -- and then just on weekends.
Carl Friedman, director of the San Francisco Department of Animal Care and Control, said late Monday afternoon that he was glad Andrew was going home.
"Well, that's wonderful," he said. "I hope the boy does well. I hope the whole family does well and that they stay safe."
Louie will be required to continue with therapy "to deal with parenting issues," she said.
Just hours after the hearing, Louie attended a therapy appointment, and planned to then go tell her son that he could stay with her for good.
"I'm going to say, 'Buddy, you can come and stay home, you don't have to stay at anyone else's house now,' " she said. "He will be so happy, he will be just ecstatic."
A big celebration is planned for the near future. Louie said she promised a trip to Legoland in Southern California.
"He will be thrilled. Legos are his favorite thing in the world," she said. E-mail Elizabeth Fernandez at efernandez@sfchronicle.com (efernandez@sfchronicle.com)
Andrew Louie will now be spending every night at home, eight months after the 7-year-old was taken by San Francisco social workers concerned about his safety around his pet pit bulls.
"I feel so good, at last he's coming home," said Valerie Louie, the child's mother, following a hearing Monday in the juvenile division of San Francisco Superior Court. "We've been waiting for this for so long. It almost seems like a dream."
In the closed two-hour hearing, Commissioner William Gargano told Louie that her son would remain a court dependent for the next six months, which allows San Francisco Child Protective Services to make unannounced home visits, Louie told The Chronicle. Gargano also stipulated that Andrew is not permitted to have contact with Cricket, a 3-year-old pit bull mix that has lived with the family since it was a pup.
"He was very kind," said Louie, 45, a nurse at Oakland's Highland Hospital emergency room. "He said he knows Andrew loves the dog and that the two grew up together, but he just did not want Cricket living with us.
Louie said she would redouble her efforts to find an adoptive home for Cricket.
The Louie family came to the attention of city officials in April 2005 when Cricket and Frances, also a pit bull mix, slipped out the front door and Cricket bit a neighbor's dog on the ear. The dogs, which had been spayed and neutered, were declared "vicious and dangerous" and underwent evaluations.
Although the dogs had never harmed Andrew or anyone else, animal behaviorists grew alarmed at Andrew's rough play with Cricket during the evaluations.
And in subsequent months, after both dogs were banned from the Louie home, Louie brought each dog back for a brief time. Mistrustful of the mother and fearing for the boy, in December child welfare workers removed Andrew from his Richmond District home. Andrew was allegedly sexually abused at a foster home and then placed in a relative's home. The dogs were gone from Louie's home the entire time Andrew was living elsewhere. Frances has since been adopted by another family.
Since Andrew was taken, Louie, has filed a claim against the city and undergone numerous therapy and parenting sessions. A court-ordered psychological evaluation of her in March determined that Louie had "learned her lesson" and strongly urged that Andrew be allowed to go home.
But not until July was Andrew allowed to spend the night at home -- and then just on weekends.
Carl Friedman, director of the San Francisco Department of Animal Care and Control, said late Monday afternoon that he was glad Andrew was going home.
"Well, that's wonderful," he said. "I hope the boy does well. I hope the whole family does well and that they stay safe."
Louie will be required to continue with therapy "to deal with parenting issues," she said.
Just hours after the hearing, Louie attended a therapy appointment, and planned to then go tell her son that he could stay with her for good.
"I'm going to say, 'Buddy, you can come and stay home, you don't have to stay at anyone else's house now,' " she said. "He will be so happy, he will be just ecstatic."
A big celebration is planned for the near future. Louie said she promised a trip to Legoland in Southern California.
"He will be thrilled. Legos are his favorite thing in the world," she said. E-mail Elizabeth Fernandez at efernandez@sfchronicle.com (efernandez@sfchronicle.com)