HOA Karen Called Animal Control On My Horses — Officer Laughed When He Saw My Veterinary License
Chapter 5
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I sighed. "Officer Chen, I'm not running any kind of commercial operation. These are my personal horses. I'm not boarding horses for others, I'm not giving lessons, and I'm not running a breeding operation. This is purely private, personal use."Barbara looked around the property, making notes on her tablet. "How many horses do you have?""Four.""And your property is five acres, properly zoned agricultural?""Correct. I have all the documentation inside if you need to see it.""I'd appreciate that, just to close this complaint properly."I brought out my folder of permits, deeds, and zoning documentation. Barbara reviewed everything carefully, taking photos of the relevant documents."Everything appears to be in order," she said finally. "Your property is correctly zoned, you're within the allowed number of animals, and I can see you're maintaining the property well. I'll note in my report that the complaint was unfounded.""Can I ask who filed the complaint?"Barbara hesitated, then said, "The complaint came from a Sharon Hendricks representing the Meadowbrook Hills HOA.""Of course it did," I muttered."Doctor Baxter, if these complaints continue and remain unfounded, you may want to consider documenting them. Harassment is taken seriously by the county.""I appreciate the advice, Officer Chen."After she left, I started a log noting every incident with Sharon and the HOA. My attorney had suggested the same thing, and I had a feeling this documentation was going to become very important.The next incident came just three days later. I was in the pasture working with Ranger on his anxiety issues when I heard shouting from the road. I looked up to see Sharon standing at my fence line with two other women I didn't recognize, all of them holding phones up and recording."There he is!" Sharon announced loudly. "The man who thinks rules don't apply to him! The man who's destroying our property values and creating a public nuisance!"I walked over slowly, keeping my expression neutral. "Ladies, can I help you with something?""We're documenting the conditions here for our lawsuit," one of the other women said. She was younger than Sharon, maybe late 30s, with the same aggressive suburban energy."Lawsuit?" I asked."The HOA is filing suit against you for creating a nuisance and violating community standards," Sharon said triumphantly."Sharon, we've been through this. I'm not part of your HOA. I can't violate rules that don't apply to me.""We'll see what a judge has to say about that!" she snapped.The third woman, who had been quiet, suddenly pointed. "Look, that horse is limping! That's abuse!"I glanced back at Willow, who was indeed moving a bit stiffly. "That mare has arthritis. She's under veterinary care, which I provide, and she's on appropriate medication. Some days are better than others for her, just like with people who have arthritis.""You're not treating her properly if she's limping!" the younger woman insisted."Actually, keeping her moving is part of her treatment plan. Gentle exercise helps maintain joint mobility. Stall rest would actually make her worse.""We're reporting this to animal control!" Sharon declared."You already did that. Officer Martinez found nothing wrong, remember?"