Getting some help from the mayor

My husband and I are new to the town of Shafter. We moved here in November of 2021. I enjoy taking walks with our dog, Bella, through our neighborhood and have met several wonderful neighbors on our walks.

This particular day I was walking with Bella and halfway through my walk a young German shepherd came up to us and got right in front of Bella, causing her to stop. This went on continually. and I was getting frustrated.

We were at a busy street when I decided to stop at the next corner house and ask for help. I was told by a neighbor that a City Council member lived there. I knocked at the door, and Chad Givens came out and seeing the situation was gracious to help. He asked his oldest daughter to bring out dog treats, and the dog would take them but avoided being caught. He then called to the animal control officer on duty, and she came out but was unable to catch the dog at that time.

Chad's daughter brought out toys and even a bag of tri-tip, but even though the dog would eat the food he still couldn't be caught. This went on for some time. Finally, Mr. Givens had his daughter bring out their dog. This took the German shepherd's attention off of Bella and gave me a chance to leave and go home.

A few days later I dropped a thank-you card by, but because no one was at home, I still didn't know the outcome of the dog catching incident.

The following week on my walk I saw Chad's wife outside and was able to get the full story of how it took Chad's twins to come out for them to catch the dog after two long hours. It was then that she told me that Chad Givens is the mayor of Shafter!

I feel so blessed to have Mr. Givens, a true public servant, as our mayor!

Ruth Brewer

Shafter