The face of Hope 2008 - Sammy (A3740097)

When I first saw Sammy at the Carson shelter - he was just a two-dimensional image on the LA County DACC's website. He arrived at the shelter as a stray and was given the impound number A3740097. I thought he has a certain sweetness about him, it was very clear in his eyes.

I met him in person when I was walking through Bldg 2 of the Carson shelter where the population of Adoptable dogs are kenneled. All the dogs were barking excitedly trying to grab a smidgen of attention from every and all the people passing by. I was drawn to C221 because I noticed that there was a dog in that kennel but he was just sitting there on the plastic platform staring out at everyone. He caught my attention right away because he didn't appear starved for attention, but he was obviously very sad. I walked over and looked at the kennel card on his kennel door. His shelter photo was not on that side of the card so I still did not recognize that he was the dog I saw on the website. I just sat down and said hello. Sammy (then just A3740097) came right up and put his right front paw up against the cage door as if to say "hello, thanks for noticing me!" I felt an instant bond with him. I wrote down his impound number so that I can go to the front office to ask about him.

I found his photo later on the website and was so happy that he was the dog who caught my eye on the website as well. I asked my rescue partner and she told me that A3740097 is a sweet boy and she too, liked him instantly upon meeting him. I learned later that he was chosen to be featured on an ad in the LA Times by a rescue group from Beverly Hills.

It was Saturday, 12/15/07 in the late evening when I saw this his photo came off the website. I panicked because I thought he was euthanized as he was being "treated" for kennel cough when I saw him last. I soon learned he got adopted as a result of being featured on the ad. I was happy for him and grateful for not having to worry about not being able to come through for him should it be at the point where he was in danger of being euthanized.

12/19/07 - I was looking at the Adoptables in the early evening just wanting to see the dogs who fell on hard times and ended up at the Carson shelter because they were no longer wanted by their "families". It was then I that I saw A3740097. He lost his new "home" after just 4 days of being adopted.

I went to see him on 12/22/07. It was then I saw that someone had written "Sammy" on his kennel card. He sat in C209 of Bldg 2 this time - toward the front where people enter the kennel. He had no water in his kennel. Fortunately, I was able to flag down a volunteer and asked her to help get him a bowl of water. I sat with Sammy and promised him that I would get him out of Carson.

Yesterday, Saturday, 12/29/07 - I came to Carson with a special person who has been a tremendous force in helping all the animals in LA County - I arrived with the hope that it would be THE day I'm getting Sammy out of there. Sammy was in his kennel when I asked a volunteer to take him out to the yard in the back so I can spend some times with him.

When I tried to adopt Sammy as a private citizen - the clerk was hesitant and went to the back of the office. The OIC (officer in charge) for the day came up and told me, "I am sorry but we can't adopt the dog to you even as a private citizen." I asked him why and the answer I received was, "you'll have to call administration."

Sammy had an Angel watching over him yesterday because the special person who came along with me knew that he likely would have to adopt Sammy and he did so gladly. This person saved Sammy's life and IS Sammy's special Angel.

This is Sammy after he left the Carson shelter.



You are looking at a very happy, very sweet and endearing dog. He is one of many, many dogs who stole my heart with just one glance and forever left his indelible paw prints in my soul.

You are looking at the hopeful face of the coming new year 2008. It will be a year of change - good, positive changes for all the animals in the Los Angeles County Shelter system (and hopefully for all the shelter systems across the United States).

It will be a challenging new year filled with trials and tribulations to bring about the much needed, long overdue changes, but I will not be daunted. Looking at the hope in Sammy's eyes once he knew he was leaving the Carson shelter is all the strength I need to keep going. This endearing dog named Sammy - formerly known as A3740097, will give me even more determination.

The challenging road that lies ahead - I will face without fear. For Sammy and all the animals in the LA County Shelter system.

One week ago I lost Zephyr. Today I say good bye to Justin

I went back to the Carson shelter today to see about the injured female Dobie. While I was there, I received a call about Justin (A3742091). I was told that Justin has distemper and was showing signs of neurological damage.

Justin was euthanized. The only comfort I can take is that he didn't go the way Zephyr did. He went knowing love and kindness; he had fun riding in the car out of the Carson shelter. Even though it was just a few days of life outside the shelter, it was better than what Zephyr had.

Days like today I feel like I am sweeping the ocean with a broom, because there is just too much pain, too much sadness. I will not give up on trying to make a difference. Such great losses will always be overwhelming. Zephyr and Justin won't ever be forgotten. Their legacies will go to save many more dogs who will come after them.

Goodbye, Justin you sweet dear boy.

A3742091

A3742091 as he was known in the system at the Carson shelter is an 8 month old Lab mix puppy who came in to shelter as a stray on 10/19/07. To us, he is Justin. A sweet, endearing, and super adorable puppy who is just two months younger than Zephyr.

Justin spent his last night at Carson on 12/4/07. Tonight he is safe and warm at the vet where he is being treated for pneumonia.

The morning of 12/5/07 the LA County DACC's head vet and the kennel supervisor at Carson walked through the kennels picking out dogs that were sick or were showing signs of becoming sick. All these dogs were euthanized. My rescue partner called to inform me that Justin's life was in danger and that unless we get him out of there right away, he was about to be the first victim for our "sins" against the department for creating such a media firestorm over Zephyr's death.

I wonder how the two people who were walking the kennels picking out the dogs to euthanize can look at the expression in Justin's eyes and not be touched by the hope that is glittering in them. We were given until noon to get him out or they were going to euthanize him.

I know this is likely one of many tactics the DACC is using to try and get back at me for telling the world Zephyr's story. They can try, but it will only strengthen my determination to help prevent as many dogs as I can from sharing Zephyr's fate.

Zephyr must have been watching over Justin because he walked out of Carson with my rescue partner through the front gate rather than being taken out the back way as so many other dogs who we could not help today.

Good bye, Zephyr

It was a painful weekend for me. Zephyr (female, 10-month Ridgeback mix) impounded on 10/27/07 at Carson was dead in her kennel Saturday morning 12/1/07. She couldn't wait for me to get her to the emergency vet.

Up until her lonely, cold and early death - she was only known as A3745343. A stray dog who was considered by someone at the Carson shelter as a "plain-Jane, generic brown dog". To me she was beautiful and vibrant. I named her Zephyr after her death. She needed a name so that people who I will tell her story to won't ever forget her - what her life (and death) meant.

The media did a story on Zephyr yesterday. It is my hope and my determination to make Zephyr's legacy a meaningful, lasting one that will save many, many more lives.

Zephyr, I am sorry you had to endure so much in such a short time. I am sorry that while you were still alive, you were deprived of human kindness, because not all of us humans are bad and cruel. I am sorry that help did not come in time and you had to go because it was just too cold and too painful to wait any longer. I promise you I will do all that I can to keep others who are there now and who will come after - from having to experience what you went through.

Good bye, sweet girl, good bye.

Freezing cold nights and the shelter animals

I just came in from walking my dogs for the night and it is about 48 degrees Fahrenheit out there. I think about the animals sitting at the LA County shelters with no heat, no blanket, nothing to provide comfort. The night must be long for them. I know it is long for me when I think about how cold they must be. I do know there are young day-old puppies as well as senior dogs who have been abandoned by their human families because of their age - all are very cold.

I have asked the people in Administration today about getting heaters for the kennels and was told that there are two bids for this week. Well, what happens while the County is seeking bids to get a heating system in place? The weather does not let up and the animals are suffering in the cold. It will be another long night not just for them but for me too.

LACACC's priority

It is safe for me to conclude that the priority of the LA County Animal Care and Control department has nothing to do with the animals.

Tomorrow will be the 10th day that the website is down. The administration staff put out emails stating that it's their "top priority" and they are working "around the clock" to fix the problem with "no estimated time of repair". If any other departmental site goes down - I am sure the problem would be addressed right away.

The animals sitting in all six shelters need help from the public and rescuers to put pressure on the people who are supposedly in the position to run the department - otherwise, they absolutely NOTHING will get accomplished. Why? because these people simply do not care.

The staff members (both at the shelters and in Admin) who cared have all left the department out of frustration and the blatant absence of compassionate leadership on the part of the director and her deputy directors. It is truly a travesty leadership.

From the Director of LACACC today

After three email requests and help from some other people who also wrote to her - she finally responded.

Here is her reply:

Cathy,



We are aware the website is not working and are doing everything possible to get it fixed as soon as possible. Staff have been working on this nonstop since last week. We do not have an estimated repair date yet, but rest assured it is a top priority.



We will make every effort to extend animals’ due out dates as long as possible, considering overcrowding and other concerns.


Marcia Mayeda, CAWA
Director
County of Los Angeles
Department of Animal Care and Control
5898 Cherry Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90805
telephone (562) 728-4610
fax (562) 422-3478
www.animalcare.lacounty.gov
www.lacountyanimals.org

LA County Shelter website - still down

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day - the shelters will be closed. Website is not working. I've sent a request to Marcia Mayeda to as for extension on time for the animals impounded on the date that the website stopped working properly. I have yet to hear back from her.

I look at my dogs content and sleeping on the couch behind me and I can't help but
think about the dogs sitting in the kennels at the LA county shelters. Some probably have families looking for them but their families don't know that they are there at the shelter. Another long day and night of waiting - waiting for an uncertain and unknown fate. Life is hard for the living beings who do not have a voice.

LA County's website is down and... no heaters

The LA County shelter website http://animalcare.lacounty.gov/ has been down for the last three days. No new animals were added since 11/5/07. Which means if you lost your dog or cat and you were looking to see if your pet showed up on the lost & found, you won't find him or her there - even though he or she might physically be at the shelter and is waiting for you to come bring him or her home.

The people at Admin have been notified and the answer is that they are working on it. Top priority but no estimated time of repair. It's Friday tomorrow and usually people at Admin don't have to work on Fridays, however, I was told that they will be there working to resolve the problem with the website.

It took several people emailing all day today to finally get them to post this message up on the website:

"We are experiencing technical difficulties and cannot retrieve current data at this time. We are aware of the problem and are working to resolve it as soon as possible."

The last time the website was down, many animals lost their lives. People who lost their pets count on the website to see if their pets showed up as strays; rescuers rely on the website being updated regularly so they know what dogs are there that they can help. Many highly adoptable animals were euthanized as the result. Hopefully, this time they will get the site up and running by tomorrow. I am being overly optimistic.

The other issue is the weather. It has been very cold at night the last couple of weeks. The animals at the LA County shelters are without any heat. For the very young and the very old - the cold is quite unforgiving. I've been asking to have heaters installed for a while but have been told that they are working on getting bids in. Well, that's great and all, but what about the animals freezing their butts off right now? What about the ones who are either coming down with upper-respiratory infection or are currently suffering from uri - do they just wait to develop pneumonia?

I have no idea how long or what it will take to change things at the LA County shelter system, but I am not going to give up. I will keep pushing Marcia Mayeda and her two deputy directors until they get off their duffs and DO something about the state of the shelters under their "leadership".

Pedigree Commercial

Yesterday Pedigree was at the Carson shelter filming their newest commercial. A few dogs were chosen to be in the commercial. One of them is this sweet girl here.
She was brought in as a stray - beyond sweet and cute!

There are many dogs like her sitting at the LA County shelters - all of them sit in wait for their turn to go to good, loving homes.

A positive note is with Pedigree at the Carson shelter yesterday, all the kennels were clean and everyone got their water and food.

The Carson dogs

Tomorrow is the first official day that the animals at the Carson shelter will be without their compassionate advocate. David Nelson's last day as the acting manager was last Thursday, 10.25.07

LACACC is a department in trouble. There is no leadership, no accountability, and the animals sitting not just at the Carson shelter but at all six of the LA County shelters - are the ones having to pay the ultimate price.

I hope that rescuers will not give up and walk away from the LA County animals. They will need all the help they can get.