The Santa Barbara Rodeo returns next week and, as we nearly always do at local rodeos, Noozhawk is holding a drawing for one lucky buckaroo to ride for our brand in the fan-favorite mutton bustin’ event.
For the first time, at just the second annual rodeo at Earl Warren Showgrounds on July 31-Aug. 2, Noozhawk will also be sponsoring the participation of Miss Rodeo California, proudly represented this year by Sujhey Rosas.
A San Diego County native, Sujhey graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a degree in animal science; minors in agricultural business, agricultural education, dairy industries, and law and society; and a master’s degree in agricultural education.
Next week we’ll be profiling Sujhey and her role as a rodeo ambassador and, equally important, her championing of California’s — and Santa Barbara County’s — western heritage, cowboy culture and vaquero values.
In the meantime, there’s just one mutton bustin’ entry left, and you can enter your child in our drawing for it.
But you have to be quick. The deadline is 5 p.m. July 25 and the drawing will be later that evening.
Mutton bustin’ contestants must be 5 to 7 years old and weigh 60 pounds or less. The event is during the Aug. 2 performance, which starts at 1 p.m.
Click here to enter our drawing, or click here to purchase tickets online.
Noozhawk had an audience of 137,498 readers this past week, according to our WordPress analytics.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories you were reading during that seven-day span, as tracked by our Google analytics.
This is my opinion column, which I write in my civic role as Noozhawk’s publisher. It is not a news story, nor am I a reporter.
1. Camp Canine Temporarily Suspends Daycare Operations After Dog Drowns
A week after a year-old English bulldog drowned at Camp Canine in Santa Barbara, dozens of community members gathered outside the Lower Eastside dog daycare and boarding facility on July 22, demanding accountability and changes they say are needed to prevent another tragedy.
As our Pricila Flores and Evelyn Spence reported, protesters held signs and photos of the bulldog, Bruce, as passing motorists honked in support and shouted, “Justice for Bruce.”
Bruce belonged to Ashley and Chris Merz of Ventura.
The family said Bruce, who had attended Camp Canine for the past six months, drowned July 16 after somehow ending up in the facility’s large-dog yard, where there are two pools. They said he was normally placed with smaller dogs in an area without pools.
The family also criticized Camp Canine’s handling of the incident, saying they were not notified before Chris Merz arrived to pick up Bruce and was given the dog’s lifeless body instead.
Camp Canine, at 803 E. Montecito St., has suspended daycare operations while reviewing its safety procedures and emergency protocols, saying it is “profoundly sorry” for the loss.
“There are no words that can fully express the heartbreak we feel following the tragic loss of a beloved dog while in our care earlier this week,” Camp Canine general manager Jayne Sigman said in a statement posted on Instagram.
“A family entrusted us with a cherished member of their family, and they are now living with an unimaginable loss because we failed in our responsibility to keep their dog safe.
“We are profoundly sorry. Our hearts are with them as they grieve, and we know that no words can lessen the pain they are experiencing.”
Santa Barbara police are investigating the drowning.
“Bruce was just the sweetest, sweetest boy,” Alison Genet, Ashley Merz’s mother, told Evelyn. “A really good dog.
“This is just a crazy tragedy. How it’s been handled … we’re upset about the tragedy, but how it’s being handled is not right … to not call the owners, and to inform them when they show up.”
As of July 24, a GoFundMe campaign had raised nearly $15,000 to help the Merzes with legal and funeral expenses.
Meanwhile, an online petition demanding Camp Canine’s closure had collected more than 1,500 signatures.
Dog owner to dog owner, my prayers are with the Merz family as they navigate this inconceivable tragedy. The fierceness of their heartbreak and any reaction from their grief can only be considered normal, because there is no “normal” in such circumstances.
But the grace and compassion they should be receiving from the community, and the investigation and accountability that must follow this incident, are being overshadowed by an appalling, scorched-earth reaction from an online mob attacking anyone and everyone associated with Camp Canine, a 41-year-old, family-owned business.
My family has been a loyal Camp Canine client since we moved to Santa Barbara nearly 40 years ago, and two generations of the extended Sorosky family have trained and treated all of our Alaskan malamutes as if they were their own.
In fact, we ended up with one, Meeka, who had been turned in to Camp Canine as a rescue.
After our home was destroyed in the 1995 Montecito flooding, she and our other mal at the time were boarded there — basically at no charge — for the entire 10 months it took us to rebuild.
Our current malamute, Sadie, was just there last week for a bath.
And yet my Instagram account, and Sadie’s, and even @riley_the_wonder_malamute — who died in 2019 — have been inundated with vile, bullying and blatantly violent threats from self-described “dog lovers” clearly just searching hashtags.
I’ve blocked and reported dozens of users from all three accounts, but Noozhawk’s Instagram account features a wide-open comments section of rancidness.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at how quickly this all escalated since a major catalyst appears to have been a random guy witnessing a dog owner experiencing the worst day of his life.
In that moment, evidently his first impulse was not to try to help console a fellow human being but to record the macabre meltdown and upload the video to the internet.
Bruce does deserve justice, but this is not that. Rest in peace.
2. Couple Accused of Swindling Montecito Neighbor Also Stole Relative’s Home, Prosecutors Allege
A Newport Beach couple already facing charges of stealing $2 million from a Montecito neighbor has now been accused of fraudulently taking ownership of a nearby $5 million family home from an elderly relative, prosecutors allege.
As our Evelyn Spence reported, Vonna and Byron Richard “Rick” Tarnutzer have been charged with 17 additional felony counts, including conspiracy, grand theft, embezzlement, mortgage fraud and filing a false affidavit.
Prosecutors allege Rick Tarnutzer transferred an Owen Road property from a family trust into the couple’s names without authorization, falsely claiming he was the trust’s sole acting trustee.
Court documents state that his mother, Nancy Tarnutzer, told investigators she never approved the transfer.
Nancy Tarnutzer died in March at age 85.
The couple allegedly rent out the house — off Cima Linda Lane above the Montecito Club, with sweeping views of the Santa Barbara Channel — for more than $25,000 a month.
In the original case, authorities allege the Tarnutzers persuaded neighbor Mystica Fleury to hand over more than $2 million between 2020 and 2021 using a $1.75 million promissory note tied to what they describe as a fraudulent investment pitch.
The couple entered not guilty pleas to those charges back in April.
During a July 17 hearing, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Pauline Maxwell said she wants a receiver appointed to review the Tarnutzers’ assets.
They remain free on $100,000 bail while both criminal cases proceed.
3. Adult E-Bike Rider Seriously Injured in Crash on Santa Barbara’s Westside
A woman riding an e-bike suffered a serious head injury after crashing on Santa Barbara’s Westside on July 22.
As our Tom Bolton reported, Santa Barbara police Lt. Ryan DeJohn said the solo crash occurred about 10:35 a.m. at the intersection of West Carrillo and Chino streets.
According to DeJohn, the woman was riding east on Carrillo when she lost control of the e-bike and fell.
Santa Barbara firefighters and paramedics treated her at the scene before an American Medical Response ambulance took her to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
DeJohn said the rider was not wearing a helmet. Her identity and an update on her condition were not immediately available.
Santa Barbara police are investigating the circumstances of the crash.
4. 2 People Injured in Crash Involving Bike, Motorcycle in Mountains Above Santa Barbara
A collision between a bicyclist and a motorcyclist on Gibraltar Road above Santa Barbara sent both riders to the hospital on July 20.
As our Evelyn Spence reported, Santa Barbara fire Battalion Chief Jon Turner said the crash was called in around 10:50 a.m. from the 2200 block of Gibraltar Road, prompting a full-on emergency response from his and the Montecito Fire departments, the California Highway Patrol and American Medical Response.
Turner said the bicyclist suffered major injuries and was transported by an AMR ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
The motorcyclist suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital in a second ambulance.
No identities were released and updated medical conditions were not available.
The CHP is investigating the circumstances of the wreck.
5. Bicyclist Transported to Hospital After Hit-Run on Highway 154
In yet another bad bike break, a cyclist was sideswiped in a hit-and-run collision on Highway 154 east of Santa Ynez on July 18, but apparently escaped with only minor injuries.
Keeping busy with the crash beat, our Evelyn Spence reported that Santa Barbara County firefighters were dispatched around 7:30 p.m. after reports of a cyclist lying in the roadway.
Fire Department spokeswoman Karen Cruz-Orduña said the bicyclist was sideswiped by a vehicle that then sped away.
The rider suffered minor injuries and was taken by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment.
Information about the suspect vehicle was not yet available, nor was the cyclist’s identity disclosed.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the circumstances of the wreck.
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Good Reads
Check out these six stories before you go:
» Ray Ford: Remembering the Painted Cave Fire — Outdoors columnist Ray Ford is back with Noozhawk after a sojourn in the wilderness. He takes a long look back at the terrifying 1990 Painted Cave Fire that destroyed hundreds of homes in a matter of minutes, killing one woman.
» Santa Barbara Man Found Guilty of Murder for 2022 Stearns Wharf Shooting — Staff writer Daniel Green covers the verdict in the murder retrial of a 26-year-old Santa Barbara gang member accused of gunning down Camarillo tourist Rob Gutierrez on Stearns Wharf.
» Identity Still Pending for Driver of Wrong-Way Vehicle Involved in Chumash Bus Crash — North County editor Janene Scully is still hunting key information from two horrific fatal crashes, this one on Highway 101 north of Los Alamos on June 26 and a June 7 wreck in Santa Maria that killed five teenagers.
» One of Santa Barbara Zoo’s Red Panda Cubs Dies — South County editor Evelyn Spence delivers some heartbreaking news from the Santa Barbara Zoo.
» Pedal the Pacific Cyclists Stop in Montecito to Raise Awareness About Sex Trafficking — Contributing writer Noelle Cabrera goes to All Saints By-the-Sea Episcopal Church for a community forum on sex trafficking in Santa Barbara County.
» After Controversy, St. Joseph High School in Orcutt Names Interim Principal — Janene takes leadership attendance at St. Joseph High School.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Operator of Popular Food Truck Named as Lompoc Crash Victim.
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What I’m Up To
Although I’m not looking for a free meal, I occasionally do have free time if you’re looking for a speaker for your club, group or organization and want to hear more about Noozhawk. Email me at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com.
Oct. 29 — I don’t recognize who Scouting America — Los Padres Council is describing, but I’m being honored with the National Outstanding Eagle Scout Award at the annual Salute to Scouting celebration at the Santa Barbara Club, #myhomeawayfromhome.
Dec. 10 — Having not learned their lesson from last year, the Channel City Club has invited me back to emcee its Christmas brunch at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. I’m privileged to do this in honor of my close friend, the late Erin Graffy, the club’s longtime host.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Fingers crossed that this magnificent eagle will fly again soon: Jackie, of Big Bear Bald Eagle Cam Fame, in Critical Condition Following Attack and Rescue.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
@sadiethealaskanmalamute and I were on a roll with @pedalthepacific this past week in my Instagram feed.
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Watch It
Most grooms would chicken out but there’s got to be one guy bold enough to stick his neck out and ask his bride-to-be to walk their recessional together accompanied by the sound of rubber poultry in motion. HT to Best of Bill reader Isabella Stanton, who says she’s “a hard no” for this at her wedding next year.
