Killing Kittens in less than 12 hours?! Demand Reform of East Valley and all other Los Angeles Anima

  • by: Nadia Robertson
  • recipient: Brenda Barnette, GM of Animals Services LA & Madeline Bernstein, President of The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in LA

Below is the account of the AWFUL experience I had when entrusting a litter of abandoned kittens one night with East Valley Animal Shelter. Although it is a long story, the details provided will hopefully illustrate the extreme lack of service this shelter failed to provide, and demonstrates an every day greater issue with the animal shelters in and surrounding Los Angeles. Because of their disorganization and many cold, uncaring and misinformed employees, hundreds of animals EVERY DAY are being killed without the proper chance at life. Before they have a chance to be adopted or even seen by the public, many animals that come in are just simply taken to the back and euthanized, despite what the public is told. Their excuse for this is "some times animals just slip through the cracks" as they have admitted to a lack of organization and proper paperwork used to keep track of admitted animals and the people who cared enough to turn in the animals they though they were taking to a safe place. This petition is here to show these shelters that enough is enough: TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR YOUR FACILITY AND START A BETTER ORGANIZED SYSTEM TO TRACK ANIMALS AND CUSTOMERS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN HELPING OR ADOPTING. ALSO DISCARD ALL EMPLOYEES WHO SHOW A LACK OF INTEREST IN ANIMAL WELFARE!


   ---- THE STORY ------

        

        August 3rd 2012, I found a litter of seven kittens that were left on the side of the road in taco bell boxes- it was a Friday night and my husband and I didn’t know what to do, but once we discovered they had fleas- they couldn’t stay with us. We have a small apartment and a cat of our own that doesn’t like to share with others, and so we were in a panic to see if a no-kill shelter was open that time of night. We stumbled upon East Valley Animal Shelter on Yelp, thinking it was a no-kill (very wrong), and after speaking with one of their graveyard shift employees, Spencer Jarvis, we were told we did the right thing by bringing them in and that the kittens would be cared for, fostered out to their ‘foster community’, and then adopted once they were 2 months/2 lbs. He said everything to indicate that they would not be euthanized at any point in the near future (because I asked repeatedly) and that we were doing the best thing possible by bringing them to East Valley. He did say there were no guarantees, because of ‘fading kitten syndrome’, where sometimes kittens just don’t make it—but said these were all healthy and he reiterated that East Valley did not euthanize animals, but rather they will send them elsewhere to be euthanized if it got to that point at some time (WRONG- THEY DO EUTHANIZE THERE), and he kept saying the kittens would be safe. He suggested to us to think it over about fostering the kittens, and gave us a form so that we could call back whenever- even mentioned that they are closed on Mondays but we could come by whenever and check on their fostering status and we would have first rights. We said we would get the information out and see if our friends or others would be interested in fostering them.

         All of this was a lie. Little did we know how wrong we were in trusting the information we were given, as the next morning, once we found some interested in adopting and fostering, we called back only to find out they had euthanized the kittens first thing in the morning. Spencer never said there was any possibility of them not being able to take care of them due to lack of facilities, and considering there is always someone(s) there at the shelter to watch over and care for the animals. There is no excuse to say they didn't have the manpower to take care of them, especially when we were told that they had a community of foster parents and other shelters they worked with in case this did happen. He painted this whole picture for us drenched in lies, even taking us into the facility to show us how nice it was and all the animals they are 'saving’. He also showed us a duckling they were taking care of and he seemed to be so loving to the animals and was just reassuring us the whole time about our decision.

         Within 10 hours, they killed the kittens and no one bothered to call us beforehand, even though it was HIS idea for us to check in on them throughout the week and see how the foster process was going. Everything he told us about the facility, the process, everything was literally wrong. ON TOP OF IT, when we went there to confront them on Saturday (August 4th 2012) in person and get answers, Spencer denied saying everything and suggested I was crazy or lying, though he was in front of all his superiors, so he was probably just trying to cover himself.

         I was told by East Valley’s shelter manager/his supervisor, Christine Carr, that according to their employee handbook, he is required to try to convince people to NOT drop off animals there because they more than likely WILL KILL THEM. He has apparently been working there for years so clearly he should be well aware of the policies. Christine was more helpful than Spencer, but she didn’t seem very affected by our case and even asked us, “If the kittens were SO important to you, why didn’t you call first thing this morning to check on them”—to which we angrily replied that 1.) If we had been informed properly that East Valley was a kill shelter, we would have NEVER brought them there 2.) Had we been told there was any possibility of the kittens being euthanized so soon we would have called first thing in the morning. We wouldn’t have left them there at all. 3.) Spencer was the one who suggested we keep calling back throughout the foster process and he took our information down knowing we were actively looking for foster parents. Even though East Valley Animal Shelter will take your information, they admit to zero accountability when it comes to contacting you. Christine said they called all their fosters and no one could take the kittens, and so they were put down. So they have the capability to call people, but not the people who have first rights and have given obvious care and interest in the kittens? East Valley admits that the shelter is like going to the DMV; they’ll take your information, but never use it and it just gets lost in ‘paperwork’ and in the computers, which is just pathetic.

         Despite that, Jake at the front desk was very nice and offered us some info, including the contact for the GM, Brenda Barnette. We called Brenda that Saturday and received a call back the following Tuesday, so they were timely in their response. The representative we spoke to was also very surprised to hear about the way Spencer handled our case, reiterating that what happened was not in line with their policy and that they would “look into it”. Their policies by the way are that they are required to hold animals for 4 working days to allow a potential owner to find their pet. They said there was no reason they would euthanize before that time, aside from serious illness or pain, and that they would “keep underage animals for as long as they could be sustained”, which Christine admitted was sometimes “only overnight”. Jake also told us about monthly meetings (info on it can be found at www.lacity.org) where people can go and voice cases such as this one and try to help improve the flawed system.

         There was also another guy there who used to work at East Valley, Kyle Schwab, who is the founder of Smash Face Rescue. At first, we were wondering who this dude was that was “butting” into our argument with the East Valley people, but he quickly helped calm the situation down when Christine and the staff were shutting down on us. Kyle offered a lot of very helpful information. He even met us outside the shelter as we were leaving and stayed and talked to us for about 30 extra minutes, telling us some of his sad stories where he has been on the way to rescue a dog, after calling ahead to the shelter, and arriving only to find out the dog had already been put down. After speaking to many rescues I found out that this happens A LOT, which is again totally unacceptable and easily avoidable. He is clearly very passionate about rescuing animals and advocating for no kill policies, but it’s also clear he is fighting such an uphill battle that requires much personal and mental strength. He was equally shocked and confused by the false information we were given by Spencer and said he would go in and talk to them to further investigate.

        I can only hope this employee gets fired and communications there at the shelter VASTLY improve, which is my hope in getting this out to PETA, Humane Society, ASPCA, the media, etc. The miscommunication between the employee and ourselves, as well as the communication between the staff and the euthanization technicians, is just unacceptable. The death of these kittens was so preventable. Ironically, just about a year ago, East Valley received a litter of 15 newborn pups (over twice the amount of the 2 week old litter of 7 kittens we brought in) and the staff at East Valley was actually offended when people implied that the pups were in danger of euthanization! Here is an actual quote from one of the staff members Veronica Perry, “I was a little disappointed considering they used the picture of the puppies and the puppies are not in danger, they’re gonna be available soon and I’ve gotten lots of calls and lots of emails,” Perry added. “I just didn’t like the idea of people thinking we were going to euthanize them.” Pretty interesting considering how they treated our case. You can read the whole article here: http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/08/19/15-newborn-pups-abandoned-at-east-valley-animal-shelter/

           So from this experience, please always 1.) ADOPT and NEVER BUY animals. The number of animals nationwide being put down everyday is in the thousands. I am certain that if people went to shelters and rescues they would surely make a connection with one of the animals. Pure breeds end up in shelters and rescues as well; it’s been a rough economy and many people have made the choice to dump off their animals. This website is a great starting place in general: http://www.adoptapet.com/, and another great website is www.petfinder.com - where you can also try to find your lost pet. Do your research if you come across a stray so you can make the right choices and make sure that you get all the right information from the most knowledgeable people available. For spay/neuter needs for both strays and household pets, visit Fixnation (http://fixnation.org/); those guys do awesome work and they offer free services for strays, including household pets from many zip codes and then low cost for everyone else.

              After that heart wrenching experience, my husband and I are determined to do what we can to get the information out there about our incident and to help give back to animals in need in whatever way we can to try to make up for being a part of the euthanization of innocent animals. Although our funds are extremely limited, and we do have a cat of our own who isn't known to play well with others, we plan on making a donation on behalf of each of the kittens, and to try to volunteer at shelters and generally spread the word about shelter communications and the importance of spay/neutering. Every little bit helps. Any donation, however small whether it is money or time, is a contribution. If we all just gave a little back, to any kind of cause, we can make a significant difference as conscious human beings trying to improve the world we all live in. Please contact one of the many shelters and rescues in your area to see how you can volunteer to help these animals in need!

http://www.my-diary.org/read/d/771105

Dear Brenda Barnette and Madeline Bernstein,


         Please find this petition as a means to show the public's concern and dissatisfaction with the current Los Angeles shelter policies. Shelter workers should be required to be knowledgeable of all shelter policies and are responsible for making sure those policies are clearly stated and understood by the public. Workers who do not abide by this, should be punished by being put on probation or termination. Los Angeles shelters should not allow animals to 'slip through the cracks' because of mismanagement of information and files both hard copy and on the computer. Nor should they be giving misinformation to the public. Animals which are taken in by the shelter should be properly accounted for,
and a list which is visible to the public both in the shelter and online should be updated with every animal that comes in for the day, so people can easily search for lost pets or potential adoptions. If someone turns in an animal to the shelter, they should be notified at least 24 hours before the animal is to be put down in order to make a decision about the animal they previously had in their possession- whether it was a pet or a lost animal or a stray. Every animal deserves a proper chance.  Shelter workers need to be made accountable for the animals they take in and to the public who trusts them. I feel that these precautionary steps will result in a more efficient and productive, as well as a more animal and people friendly, business that will maintain better standards for the city of Los Angeles now and for years to come. I am including the information below to document the incident that has inspired this petition:



        August 3rd 2012, I found a litter of seven kittens that were left on the side of the road in taco bell boxes- it was a Friday night and my husband and I didn’t know what to do, but once we discovered they had fleas- they couldn’t stay with us. We have a small apartment and a cat of our own that doesn’t like to share with others, and so we were in a panic to see if a no-kill shelter was open that time of night. We stumbled upon East Valley Animal Shelter on Yelp, thinking it was a no-kill (very wrong), and after speaking with one of their graveyard shift employees, Spencer Jarvis, we were told we did the right thing by bringing them in and that the kittens would be cared for, fostered out to their ‘foster community’, and then adopted once they were 2 months/2 lbs. He said everything to indicate that they would not be euthanized at any point in the near future (because I asked repeatedly) and that we were doing the best thing possible by bringing them to East Valley. He did say there were no guarantees, because of ‘fading kitten syndrome’, where sometimes kittens just don’t make it—but said these were all healthy and he reiterated that East Valley did not euthanize animals, but rather they will send them elsewhere to be euthanized if it got to that point at some time (WRONG- THEY DO EUTHANIZE THERE), and he kept saying the kittens would be safe. He suggested to us to think it over about fostering the kittens, and gave us a form so that we could call back whenever- even mentioned that they are closed on Mondays but we could come by whenever and check on their fostering status and we would have first rights. We said we would get the information out and see if our friends or others would be interested in fostering them.


         All of this was a lie. Little did we know how wrong we were in trusting the information we were given, as the next morning, once we found some interested in adopting and fostering, we called back only to find out they had euthanized the kittens first thing in the morning. Spencer never said there was any possibility of them not being able to take care of them due to lack of facilities, and considering there is always someone(s) there at the shelter to watch over and care for the animals. There is no excuse to say they didn't have the manpower to take care of them, especially when we were told that they had a community of foster parents and other shelters they worked with in case this did happen. He painted this whole picture for us drenched in lies, even taking us into the facility to show us how nice it was and all the animals they are 'saving’. He also showed us a duckling they were taking care of and he seemed to be so loving to the animals and was just reassuring us the whole time about our decision.


         Within 10 hours, they killed the kittens and no one bothered to call us beforehand, even though it was HIS idea for us to check in on them throughout the week and see how the foster process was going. Everything he told us about the facility, the process, everything was literally wrong. ON TOP OF IT, when we went there to confront them on Saturday (August 4th 2012) in person and get answers, Spencer denied saying everything and suggested I was crazy or lying, though he was in front of all his superiors, so he was probably just trying to cover himself.


         I was told by East Valley’s shelter manager/his supervisor, Christine Carr, that according to their employee handbook, he is required to try to convince people to NOT drop off animals there because they more than likely WILL KILL THEM. He has apparently been working there for years so clearly he should be well aware of the policies. Christine was more helpful than Spencer, but she didn’t seem very affected by our case and even asked us, “If the kittens were SO important to you, why didn’t you call first thing this morning to check on them”—to which we angrily replied that 1.) If we had been informed properly that East Valley was a kill shelter, we would have NEVER brought them there 2.) Had we been told there was any possibility of the kittens being euthanized so soon we would have called first thing in the morning. We wouldn’t have left them there at all. 3.) Spencer was the one who suggested we keep calling back throughout the foster process and he took our information down knowing we were actively looking for foster parents. Even though East Valley Animal Shelter will take your information, they admit to zero accountability when it comes to contacting you. Christine said they called all their fosters and no one could take the kittens, and so they were put down. So they have the capability to call people, but not the people who have first rights and have given obvious care and interest in the kittens? East Valley admits that the shelter is like going to the DMV; they’ll take your information, but never use it and it just gets lost in ‘paperwork’ and in the computers, which is just pathetic.


         Despite that, Jake at the front desk was very nice and offered us some info, including the contact for the GM, Brenda Barnette. We called Brenda that Saturday and received a call back the following Tuesday, so they were timely in their response. The representative we spoke to was also very surprised to hear about the way Spencer handled our case, reiterating that what happened was not in line with their policy and that they would “look into it”. Their policies by the way are that they are required to hold animals for 4 working days to allow a potential owner to find their pet. They said there was no reason they would euthanize before that time, aside from serious illness or pain, and that they would “keep underage animals for as long as they could be sustained”, which Christine admitted was sometimes “only overnight”. Jake also told us about monthly meetings (info on it can be found at www.lacity.org) where people can go and voice cases such as this one and try to help improve the flawed system.


         There was also another guy there who used to work at East Valley, Kyle Schwab, who is the founder of Smash Face Rescue. At first, we were wondering who this dude was that was “butting” into our argument with the East Valley people, but he quickly helped calm the situation down when Christine and the staff were shutting down on us. Kyle offered a lot of very helpful information. He even met us outside the shelter as we were leaving and stayed and talked to us for about 30 extra minutes, telling us some of his sad stories where he has been on the way to rescue a dog, after calling ahead to the shelter, and arriving only to find out the dog had already been put down. After speaking to many rescues I found out that this happens A LOT, which is again totally unacceptable and easily avoidable. He is clearly very passionate about rescuing animals and advocating for no kill policies, but it’s also clear he is fighting such an uphill battle that requires much personal and mental strength. He was equally shocked and confused by the false information we were given by Spencer and said he would go in and talk to them to further investigate.


        I can only hope this employee gets fired and communications there at the shelter VASTLY improve, which is my hope in getting this out to PETA, Humane Society, ASPCA, the media, etc. The miscommunication between the employee and ourselves, as well as the communication between the staff and the euthanization technicians, is just unacceptable. The death of these kittens was so preventable. Ironically, just about a year ago, East Valley received a litter of 15 newborn pups (over twice the amount of the 2 week old litter of 7 kittens we brought in) and the staff at East Valley was actually offended when people implied that the pups were in danger of euthanization! Here is an actual quote from one of the staff members Veronica Perry, “I was a little disappointed considering they used the picture of the puppies and the puppies are not in danger, they’re gonna be available soon and I’ve gotten lots of calls and lots of emails,” Perry added. “I just didn’t like the idea of people thinking we were going to euthanize them.” Pretty interesting considering how they treated our case. You can read the whole article here: http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/08/19/15-newborn-pups-abandoned-at-east-valley-animal-shelter/


           So from this experience, please always 1.) ADOPT and NEVER BUY animals. The number of animals nationwide being put down everyday is in the thousands. I am certain that if people went to shelters and rescues they would surely make a connection with one of the animals. Pure breeds end up in shelters and rescues as well; it’s been a rough economy and many people have made the choice to dump off their animals. This website is a great starting place in general: http://www.adoptapet.com/, and another great website is www.petfinder.com - where you can also try to find your lost pet. Do your research if you come across a stray so you can make the right choices and make sure that you get all the right information from the most knowledgeable people available. For spay/neuter needs for both strays and household pets, visit Fixnation (http://fixnation.org/); those guys do awesome work and they offer free services for strays, including household pets from many zip codes and then low cost for everyone else.


              After that heart wrenching experience, my husband and I are determined to do what we can to get the information out there about our incident and to help give back to animals in need in whatever way we can to try to make up for being a part of the euthanization of innocent animals. Although our funds are extremely limited, and we do have a cat of our own who isn't known to play well with others, we plan on making a donation on behalf of each of the kittens, and to try to volunteer at shelters and generally spread the word about shelter communications and the importance of spay/neutering. Every little bit helps. Any donation, however small whether it is money or time, is a contribution. If we all just gave a little back, to any kind of cause, we can make a significant difference as conscious human beings trying to improve the world we all live in. Please contact one of the many shelters and rescues in your area to see how you can volunteer to help these animals in need!


http://www.my-diary.org/read/d/771105

_________________________________________________________


I hope this information will be used to improve the current flawed 
system, which leaves too much room for error and lack of accoutability. I
just want to make sure that every animal that enters a Los Angeles 
shelter has a proper chance at life.


Sincerely,

    Nadia Robertson 

 

Sign Petition
Sign Petition
You have JavaScript disabled. Without it, our site might not function properly.

Privacy Policy

By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.

Having problems signing this? Let us know.