‘They Asked Us to Leave, So We’re Leaving’

When you’ve swung from a trapeze for a living, you learn that life has its ups and downs. If only for that reason, Tom and Peney Weaver probably will make out OK as they pack up their 20-year-old RV on New Year’s Eve and head bravely into the future.

They’re keeping a stiff upper lip (Peney is English, after all), but some of their friends are furious and disbelieving that the leadership of the Animal Assistance League, which tries to find homes for dogs and cats, has ousted the Weavers after 11 years as kennel workers.

An unsigned letter recently sent to me refers to the Weavers’ holiday-season termination as “heartless.” Some others active in the league wonder whether the organization will be able to find anyone who would live, as the Weavers did, on the premises and literally work seven days a week caring for the 40 or so dogs and cats that live at the kennel.

Former board member Laura Willis, who says she didn’t write the letter, sees the Weavers as “loyal, dedicated, hard-working employees. Their whole concern is for the animals. They may not always suit the 20 board members or do things the way they want them done, but none of us is perfect.”

Board president Jacque Keener has seen the letter I got and refers to it as the “poison pen” letter. I can tell she’s griped that someone went public with the Weavers’ situation, but Keener refuses to discuss it for the record.

Although Keener won’t go into details, Peney says they were asked to leave because an employee accused Tom, 78, of making a sexually harassing remark to her. The Weavers deny it but say they don’t have the inclination to fight, either.

“Everyone says take them to court, but I say, ‘I can’t, I’m too tired,’ ” Peney, 60, says. “This has been our life for 11 years. They asked us to leave, so we’re leaving. I’m not going to criticize the AAL. If that’s what they want, that’s what we’ll do. What they should have done is just come to us and asked us to leave. Don’t trump something up.”

No Vacations, No Days Off

Willis doubts the allegation. “I’d bet my house it’s not true,” she says. “I’ve known Peney and Tom for 11 years, and Tom’s never been anything but a gentleman.”

Other activists in the league say political infighting has marked the league from time to time. One of them, who didn’t want to be identified, says the Weavers shouldn’t have been dismissed after so many years of faithful service. “They never leave the premises, never take vacation, never take a day off,” she says.

It’s not as though the Weavers have been living high on the hog. The kennel they’ve been managing is in Midway City, on a street off the beaten path and behind a house. They share their RV with seven cats and a dog.

They and acquaintances say they’ve taken few if any vacations and tend to the animals on a round-the-clock basis.

“We always had animals when we were on the road,” Peney says. “That’s why we bought the motor home, because we couldn’t get into motels anymore. You can only sneak into motels with so many animals.”

Peney and Tom have been married for 35 years and became a trapeze act 43 years ago when Peney, then a teenager, met Tom. They performed around the world as a two-person troupe, Peney says, using their own rigging and generally working the nightclub circuit.

When age caught up with them 11 years ago, they gravitated to Orange County and the Midway City kennel. They parked their 33-foot RV in the driveway next to the kennel and have seldom moved it.

They expected to finish out their days working at the kennel.

Instead, come Friday, that changes.

Back on the Road

Peney says they’ll “head for the hills,” most likely an RV campground somewhere.

The Weavers say they appreciate the support but are resigned to hitting the highway.

Peney sees their life as one in which they “came in off the road” 11 years ago to work at the kennel. Now the road beckons again.

Which raises one other question.

Are you sure the RV will make it out of the driveway, I ask Peney.

“I just started it up,” she says. “It sounded fine.”

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Dana Parsons’ column appears Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Readers may reach Parsons by calling (714) 966-7821 or by writing to him at the Times Orange County Edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, or by e-mail to dana.parsons@latimes.com