I moved to 110 Dolphin Ave. in September, 2004. I had found what I considered to be the perfect apartment in what I considered the perfect town in California. The apartment was in my budget, Seal Beach was centrally located for my job and my landlord was a sweet and attentive. I was a sales rep and managed Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties for my company, and was required to keep a home office. My residence at 110 Dolphin proved to be perfect…two bedrooms allowed for the perfect office set-up and Seal Beach was the perfect town for training customers and entertaining prospective clients. This all abruptly changed when a pig moved in downstairs. I know there has been a lot of discussion and debate about “the pig at 110 Dolphin.” Although I am no longer a resident at that address, I feel I need to make sure that some “opinions” are confirmed, and some “facts” are clarified. I’ve read many comments, and while I may have my own opinions on each of them, I think there are some facts that are being overlooked.
It is a fact that Bubba screams and squeals; a lot. Living in Seal Beach, you get used to the noises of animals, fog horns, traffic, neighbors, etc.… this I understand. But, I can assure you, you do not get used to the shrill screech of a pig. This part is not an opinion. I lived above Bubba for 4 years, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that he is a very loud animal, at any and every hour of the day. I had to shut all the windows and doors to my apartment if I needed to make a work phone call. My boss would often tell me to “mute Bubba” when we were on conference calls. I have read comments from Bubba’s owners that this is the first they have heard of these noises. This is not true. On many occasions, I asked Bubba’s owners if there was anything that could be done about the incessant noise. They knew my work situation with a home office, but there was really nothing that could be done about his screams. After several attempts at going the “neighborly” route and politely asking that Bubba remain inside as much as possible during working hours, it became clear that my efforts would not only be useless, but were often met with extreme discontent from Madonna and Eric. This is also an indisputable fact, not just my opinion.
Then there was the smell. Anyone who has commented or believes that there was not an overwhelming stench of pig excrement did not live at 110 Dolphin. I have photos that were submitted to Long Beach Animal Control of large piles of fecal matter. I will admit it is difficult to tell, for most people, whether those piles were Bubba’s, Jasmine’s (the yellow lab that also uses the patio as a dumping ground) or a combination of the two. For me, the stench was simple to pinpoint. I moved to Seal Beach from a farm in Oklahoma, where we had hogs and other animals. I can assure you that the unique pungency of pig feces is not something you have to second guess. The onset of flies ensued and summer months when the Santa Ana’s blew made the smell in my apartment almost unbearable. As I have followed Bubba’s story through social media, news links, etc., I have found it almost comical that Bubba’s owners and other residents of Seal Beach legitimately believe there were no screams or no copious amounts of hog excrement. To this point, I am not attempting to provide my opinions; I am providing factual information from my time as a resident at 110 Dolphin. Once I realized that politely asking my neighbors and landlord to address the ongoing issues with Bubba were absolutely futile, I decided to go another route, which brings us to more facts.
It is a fact that hogs have never been allowed in Seal Beach according to the municipal code….this is not something new that was “secretly” passed by the City Council a couple weeks ago without anyone knowing about it. When I first contacted Animal Control to inquire about the legality of a pig, I was immediately informed that the Seal Beach municipal code does not allow hogs. You may have an opinion that Bubba is not a hog…he is a pig, and pigs are allowed. This is not true. If you want to get into the semantics of that discussion…fine. A pig technically becomes a hog at 185 pounds, or 200 pounds, depending on which veterinarian’s association you subscribe to. This becomes a moot point, since Bubba has been well over 185 or 200 lbs for quite some time. Either way, plain and simple, Bubba’s owners have been, and continue to be, in violation of the Seal Beach Municipal Code. The owners have been cited on numerous occasions by the Long Beach Animal Control, but have refused to pay their fines. This is also a fact. You can verify this information by contacting Sgt. Rebecca Johnson at 562-570-7387. I spoke to Sgt. Johnson on MANY occasions across a 3-year span, and I can assure you that Bubba’s existence in Seal Beach is against the law. You do not have to take my word for this; you can confirm this information for yourself at Long Beach Animal Control. They contacted me today, November 5th, and communicated that Bubba’s owners have continued to refuse to pay the fines and have notified them they have no intentions of complying with the law. They asked me to submit this correspondence to the Seal Beach City Council in hopes that residents will get an actual understanding of conditions at 110 Dolphin, since I was in the file multiple times as a reporting party.
Those are the facts…now for the opinions.
One of the things I always appreciated about Seal Beach is its’ residents’ tolerance and love for pets. Although I was never allowed to have a dog at 110 Dolphin, I have always been an animal lover. I understand and appreciate everyone’s concern for Bubba’s well-being, but I think some of the focus is getting lost on this issue. If you genuinely care for animals and want to support Bubba, I would hope you would at least acknowledge the miserable existence this animal has lived in his whole life. This is just common sense; animal lover or not. A 250-lb+ farm animal should not be forced to live its life in a 2-bedroom, beach apartment on tile and concrete. If you do not want to focus on facts, focus on the blatant animal cruelty. If you prefer to not care about the living conditions of the other residents at 110 Dolphin, that is your right. But, do not sit idly by as their pet continues to suffer in inappropriate living conditions.
After living above Bubba for almost 4 years, I had to move out. My perfect home office was no longer a perfect home or a feasible office. I quit attempting to have any civil conversations with my neighbors out of fear for my own safety. If you feel these fears were not justified, you need only check the police reports and criminal records of Bubba’s owner. I have never been one that finds it necessary to attack other people or do hurtful things to anyone, but I feel it is my responsibility to share my experiences as a resident of 110 Dolphin. I was forced to move out of my own personal paradise because there seemed to be no solution to a problem that had become unbearable. I would sincerely hope that the residents of Seal Beach do what it right. Do what is right for Bubba; do what is right for the other tenants of 110 Dolphin.
Jarred Robison
Seal Beach
