Anti-Life Decisions by LA County Department of Animal Control
- by: Legal Rescue Coalition
- recipient: Dr. Lori Glasgow, Supervisor, LA County Shelters….and William Fujioka, CEO of LA County Board of Supervisors
The Shepherd in the picture was 1 years old, you can tell she was highly intelligent. This young girl was euthanized for lack of space at Lancaster shelter. She and far too many other homeless pets die in LA County shelters, yet the rules in place are not 'rescue friendly' to get them out. Rescuers complain of excessive paperwork, dysfunction and stiffling rules by LA County Department of Animal Care and Control. It is commonly believed by those in the trenches, that LA County Animal Care and Control has made it increasingly more difficult to save lives from county facilities. For instance, the recent NO 3rd PARTY PULLS enforcement has left SO MANY people who rescue, without the help they once had.
FACEBOOK has made death row rescue global, and this offers unlimited resources. From all over the world monies and help comes in to save the pets on death row at LA County shelters. Rescue partners being able to work with others who are not - is vital. In a direction OPPOSITE of what progressive shelters have been doing across the United States, LA County Animal 'Care' and Control keep tightening their grip on these pets - who they will kill if not rescued. Instead of working more closely with the community, they put restrictive rules in place - citing hoarding and abuse, which are the rare exeptions.
Please explain your experience, use an aka if you are afraid of repercussions (many are) from LACCC. How many of you are have/had problems rescuing from LA County Shelters? Stories? *** SHARE THIS PETITION and let's move forward to encourage LA County municipal department of Animal 'Care' and Control to be inclusive by embracing the LA community AND global network who want to help these animals. This is going to take communication and willingness from the decision makers. If we cannot at least have valid access to the policy makers to discuss rather than 'report' - our only recourse, is the media.
Given the numbers of healthy and adoptable pets killed each day in LA County shelters, rescues save as many lives as they possibly can. The expectation of paperwork from LACCC does not take into account the sheer volume. It is a familiar story to hear that 'LA County has many rules and regulations that work against saving lives'. As a result, many rescues avoid LA County shelters because of this - and recent unfortunate decisions have only exasperated this trend.
LA County Animal Control suspend their 'rescue affiliates' if they don't get ALL their paperwork in on time. Yet, some rescues have to wait many months, one claims over a year and still waiting to become a rescue partner. Perhaps we can put something in place to dock county employees pay if they don't process rescues paperwork in a more timely fashion? They also make 'surprise' investigations to rescue partners and their fosters. Everyone is overwhelmed being forced to save the droves of pets this department fails...then they get punished for it? The community who pay the municipalities cruelty investigation salaries would like them to spend more of that time busting the real abusers, dog fighters and breeders - and less time badgering those who are helping the department do their job.
This is a crisis, and although euthanasia is modus operandi to the people in charge, SPECIAL ALLOWANCES NEED TO BE MADE to HELP accommodate the pets who are being helped by the private sector. An allowance for fosters should be addressed.
How could it get any worse? It just did. Recently, Marcia Mayeda, Director of LA County Shelters which include high kill Lancaster, Downey, Carson and Baldwin Park put her foot down to enforce NO 3RD PARTY PULLS - which defies logic and the credo of rescue- IT TAKES A VILLAGE. Now no affiliated rescue can 'pull' animals for others who ask for their help...even if they know them well. This logistically is a disaster, since rescues can't be everywhere and depend on others to help them get animals out of shelters which are spread far and wide in vast LA County. Time is of the essence as people race to save lives, and the new rules enforced are crippling.
There are many good citizens who spend big money to save lives from LA shelters who live in other areas of CA, other states, and even out of the country who network and fund rescues out of LA County shelters which are notorious worldwide for killing amazing animals. They can no longer find a rescue affiliate to help them – even though with stellar track records who have worked with affiliates for years... all affiliates are afraid to get their pull rights revoked. Evidently LA County would rather kill these animals to lesson the chance that they ‘might’ end up in a crowded hoarding situation. This logic is flawed and inhumane.
Non affiliates, even 501c3’s have to pay full price for an animal who LACCC would otherwise kill. So if you want to save lives in volume, which is what is needed – you need a fat wallet. But wait, it gets even worse...YOU CAN"T. Even if you want to pay full price for the pets about to die, if you already adopted 3, you're at your limit!! So the private sector is restricted from rescuing. Many counties GIVE animals to rescues they know instead of euthanizing them. Not LA County. Many counties release Euth lists to give the dogs a chance of being saved. Not LA County. How about animals being killed given to 501c3's at a reduced rate? Not LA County.
Many don't want to be rescue affiliates with LA County claiming their are too intrusive and dysfunctional. As long as there is killing of adoptable pets in the numbers that they are, these are extraordinary times which require extraordinary measures. The status quo leadership has not sufficiently handled the crisis...your constituents and animal lovers from all over the world are coming to you for change. Of course the department is doing a lot to help the crisis...it has a huge budget...but it is NOT ENOUGH. There are sporadic meetings with shelter directors and their active affiliates, NOT ENOUGH. You need MORE HELP to stop the killing of pets in OUR shelters. We have got to make this work.
Your job is to oversee this department. If the public you serve cannot count on you to help create expediated humane care of homeless pets in LA County, which should be state of the art, we will be forced to go to the press and expose this moral crisis and those who stand in the way of progressive collaborative efforts. There is chaos and disarray regarding these recent restrictive rules and frustration regarding the unwillingness of LA County's Board of Supervisors to work with the community in order to create substantial understanding and positive change. A meeting is in order.
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