Some experts who work with rescue dogs argue it’s unfair to judge a dog’s behavior in a loud, stressful shelter environment, saying it doesn’t reflect how it would do in a loving home. County shelters, including Palmdale and Lancaster, said Babs and Bugs were euthanized because they showed behavioral problems during their time in the shelter, lunging at other dogs through their cages and then each other. Rodriguez, who oversees three northern L.A. The paper’s request for complete records of such rescue requests for all of the county shelters is pending. The Times reviewed a number of cases at the Palmdale and Lancaster shelters that showed no indication that rescue requests were made. Now, Mayeda said, “if there is an error, it would be an anomaly.” And a department spokesperson said it was not until February that shelter staff members were briefed on the new requirement. But the guidelines have been haphazard and have evolved.įor example, it has long been the department’s practice to ask those organizations whether they can take dogs that are most at risk.īut only in January did the department adopt a policy requiring shelters to reach out to rescue groups. He said he could not say for certain when the procedures were carried out in specific cases.ĭepartment records also show the two Antelope Valley shelters failed to follow their own department’s process to enlist help from rescue groups before putting a dog down. The number of euthanasias performed during those hours at the Baldwin Park shelter could not be determined because many of its time stamps were missing from records.Īnimal Care and Control Deputy Director Raul Rodriguez said that veterinary staff often update computer records after completing all procedures, so the time stamp may not accurately reflect the time of euthanasia. Palmdale and Lancaster, in particular, consistently entered time stamps that appear to show animals were being put down during public hours - some months, dozens of times - since the shelters reopened for walk-ins in May of last year. Time stamps on records reviewed by The Times appear to show that euthanasias were performed during those hours for nonmedical reasons at most county shelters. Under department policy, euthanasia cannot be performed while the facility is open to the public without explicit permission, unless the animal is injured or suffering. The reasons cited for killing the dogs were that they were too sick or injured to treat, or too dangerous to be safely adopted that there was not sufficient kennel space to house the animals and that there was no interest from potential adopters. The Times analyzed documents obtained through public records requests on more than 14,600 dogs euthanized since 2018 in the seven shelters operated by the county - which has contracts with 45 cities to provide animal care and control services. The time from when dogs enter the shelter until they’re euthanized for lack of space or interest is briefer than at other shelters, The Times found. People wanting information about dogs available for adoption can view a corkboard pinned with the animals’ photos, but those are often dark or of poor quality. Most dogs are kept in an area that the public can visit only with a staff or volunteer escort. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)Īt the Palmdale shelter in particular, limited public access to kennels may be a factor. We are forever grateful for this dedicated rescue for making our family whole again and their tireless work to save as many animals as possible.Fliers describe dogs available for adoption at Palmdale Animal Care Center. I know he will make the best big brother. Bronson even gets to go on adventures to the beach, mountains, woods, and lakes! A few months after we brought him home, we found out that we’re expecting our very first baby! We are over the moon to watch Bronson and our son grow up together. We knew he needed us just as much as we needed him, and a few weeks later we drove to a Petco in Washington to take him home! Since then, not a day has passed that he hasn’t made us laugh with his goofy personality and nightly zoomies. He lived on the streets for at least 6 months, and he wouldn’t have lasted much longer if it weren’t for Three Little Pitties stepping in and saving him. He was a walking skeleton with lacerations on his face and legs from being attacked by other stray dogs. His backstory isn’t completely known, but we did learn that he was found abandoned in a trailer park near Houston. He was so funny looking and he caught our eye immediately. We searched online for days until we came across Bronson’s profile. We were heartbroken and grieving, but we knew the best way to honor his life was to save another dog. In early November 2021, we had to unexpectedly put our young pittie down due to medical complications.
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