Goodbye A3780642, I'm Sorry You Couldn't Find Your Friend

He was euthanized today. He never stood a chance. Impounded on February 4th as a stray, his photo never was put up on the Carson website. If he had a family looking to find him, they would not know he was at Carson, not with so many other Pit Bulls impounded there. Not without a photo.

A3780642 was destined to die at Carson and he did. He lived 9 days at the Carson shelter. He was photographed by a photographer for the LA Times and was in the newspaper yesterday. Did the reporter and the photographer know that he had just a couple of days to live from the time they met him? Did they know how he came to Carson? Did they care?

Goodbye, A3780642 you beautiful boy.

Friend Wanted

This is the picture under the title of "Animal shelters are under scrutiny" an article published in today's edition of the LA Times. This beautiful dog is a stray impounded on 2/4/08. His impound number is A3780642. Ironically, they have him listed at 10 month of age - the same age as Zephyr when she was impounded on 10/27/07.

The Carson shelter has yet to put his photo on the website. He has long since passed his stray hold period so he can be euthanized at any time now. If he has a family out there looking for him, likely they will not find him because his photo did not show up on the shelter's Lost and Found page. This is perfectly normal practice for the LA County Shelter system. He is a Pit Bull so he gets even less attention and is even less worthy of their effort.

He is one of many stray Pit Bulls who will end up losing his life in the LA County shelter system. His amber color eyes say a lot. They are full of sadness, fear and confusion. I have not met him but just looking at this photo of him, my heart aches because I know just as he does, that he did not ask for any of this. He did not ask to be born in to a world already full of homeless pets; he did not ask to be born into a world where the majority of the people have wrongfully concluded and condemned his breed as dangerous and deathly.

The photographer for this article titled this photo "friend wanted" so I thought it appropriate to name this blog entry the same.

A3780642 is looking for a friend. Someone who will be his savior and help take him out of hell.

Zephyr's story

She was picked up in Culver City on the block of 6300 Green Valley Circle as a stray on 10/27/07. A3745343 was her impound number and this photo here was her Carson shelter mugshot. Zephyr was just ten-month old. I saw Zephyr's photo on the LA County DACC's website but I never got to meet Zephyr while she was still alive. My rescue partner who at the time, was still a volunteer with the Carson shelter (she has since been 'fired' because she spoke out on Zephyr's behalf) met Zephyr and thought she was a sweet, darling puppy. She put a "Call when PTS" on Zephyr hopping to be able to get Zephyr out of Carson.

This was a photo of Zephyr taken by my rescue partner. Zephyr was still vibrant and full of life in this photo.
However, like most all the animals at the Carson shelter, Zephyr came down with upper-respiratory infection. What made her even more susceptible to this URI was the fact that she ever received any vaccination upon impound. She never got her Bordetella and DHLPP shots as she was supposed to. I have Zephyr's record to show that she never got her vaccinations. What is being sent via the PRA will be a doctored piece of document. It will show that the shelter gave her Bordetella and DHLPP on 11/27/07 - the same day they reported her very sick and recommended that she be humanely euthanized. My rescue partner never received the call even though she had asked that they call when Zephyr was to be euthanized. It's interesting though that they would give Zephyr her shots on the day she was reported by the veterinary staff to be very ill and on the very day that the shelter vet recommended that Zephyr be put to sleep. Does that make sense to you? It makes no sense to me. The reason is that the department of animal care and control lied. They never gave Zephyr a chance. She was never vaccinated. She fell ill and they failed to treat her so she died IN THEIR CARE.

This was Zephyr looking on and around her in the late afternoon of Friday 11/30/07. One can hardly recognize that she is the same puppy who was so full of life just a few weeks prior. In this photo, we didn't know that it was Zephyr's last night being alive.

What happened to Zephyr did not have to happen, but it did. I am sure there are many, many more like Zephyr dying in the LA County shelters right now as I am writing this blog entry. Their deaths will not be known as Zephyr's death would have been unknown had it not been for us showing up the morning of 12/1/07 to try and get her out to a private emergency vet.

If you are reading this blog entry, I hope that Zephyr's short tragic life touched you the way it touched me and forever changed my life. Four days after Zephyr's death, my rescue partner (former Carson volunteer) and I rescued another puppy (8-month old) from Carson. Justin was his name. Justin also died from distemper (he received his vaccination 3 weeks after he was impounded at Carson). I was able to get Justin's cremain. I did not get Zephyr's cremain as Marcia Mayeda sent her body out for the necropsy.

A Magnificent German Shepherd

I was at the Downey shelter on Saturday, Feb. 2 when I met this beautiful German Shepherd. His kennel card listed him as an 8-year old female with the name Roxy. Roxy turned out to be an intact male who was turned in on January 31, with a euthanasia request.

He wore a tired, sorrowful expression in his eyes as if he knew why he was there. He had elbows that were thickened by callous skin. One of many indications that he spent his entire life as an outside dog who was neglected. His fur was clumpy as if he was just recently hosed down and was drying out.

I sat outside his cage as he pressed his nose to my hand to give me a gentle kiss. The space he was allowed was just too small. One could tell that he was at one point, a majestic looking dog. We sat together in the sun for a while. People passed by and he would look up to see if they would pay him a second look. No one did.

He and I both knew that it was not his time to go. I told him that I didn't understand why people can be so cruel, how they can just decide that it was time to end a life just like that. I told him that not all people are like that, that there are people out there with broken hearts because they know about him and dogs like him, but like me - are helpless because we don't have any place to take him to.

When it was time to go, I asked him to go through the guillotine door to the inside part of his cage because I just couldn't bring myself to walk away from him. He looked at me and he understood. He walked through the door and went in.

This is the last photo of him taken by Ryan Olshan.

I looked for him when I got to a computer an hour later but could not find his record. I know he is gone. I hope that his last moment was as peaceful as it could have been even if it was at the Downey shelter. I hope whoever it was who took him from his cage and walked him for the last time to where he took his last breath was someone kind and compassionate.

Here is my prayer for him and all the animals who shared a common, untimely ending like his.

A PRAYER FOR ANIMALS

Hear our humble prayer, O God, for our
friends the animals,
especially for animals who are suffering;
for any that are hunted or lost or
deserted or frightened or hungry;
for all that must be put to death.

We entreat for them all Thy mercy and pity,
and for those who deal with them we ask a
heart of compassion and gentle hands and
kindly words. Make us, ourselves, to be true
friends to animals and so to share the blessings
of the merciful.


--- Albert Schweitzer ---

Three sweet dogs

These three dogs never stood a chance.

This Chow Chow girl (A3768333)
was the subject of an email because her photo was taken while she was restrained by the come-along pole covered by the towel in the photo. I knew that she would not be walking out of the Carson shelter when her stray hold period is up when the photo on the Carson website for her never changed. In the past, when an email is sent out, a new photo of the dog would be taken and put up on the website. When her photo remained the same, I knew they would kill her.

This poor dog was impounded on new year's eve. I met her in person on Saturday 1/5. She was very sweet and friendly when I came to her cage. She walked right up to the front with her tail wagging and a smile on her face. I spent some time with her, I told her I am sorry that I couldn't help her get out of there. A3768333 was killed on Tuesday 1/8/08.


This wonderful, sweet boy (A3768163) was also impounded on new year's eve. His sad, worried eyes instantly captured my heart when I first saw this shelter mug of him on Carson's Lost & Found page. I went to meet him on Saturday 1/5, the same day I went to meet the Chow Chow girl. He was kenneled right across from Cooper's cage. He watched me when I was sitting outside Cooper's cage. He wanted to get my attention so he would not stop barking until I came over and sat outside his cage. He pressed his entire body as close to the cage door so I can pet him. His eyes didn't look so sad and worried when I was there with him. He was just happy to get some attention so his tail was wagging non-stop. I fell in love with him right there and then.

He was a great dog. At just a little over a year old, he must have lived somewhere before he ended up at Carson. He looked like he was well-cared for by someone, but for whatever reasons, no one came to look for him at Carson. If my rescue status was not suspended, if my ability to adopt as a private citizen was not illegally and unethically taken away from me - I would have been able to buy this dog some times. Instead, I found myself asking for his forgiveness. I asked him to forgive me for not being able to make a promise to get him out of there. I think he understood, because he sat down and licked my hand through the cage door.

A3768163 was killed on Tuesday 1/8/08 along with the Chow Chow girl.


A3763894 was turned in to the Carson shelter by her family on 12/18/07. She was very sad when I met her on 1/5. It was as if she knew that the chance of being adopted into a good home would not be hers. She was as quiet as her eyes in this shelter photo.

Dogs are wise beings. I read somewhere that "dogs know what we know and they also know what we don't know". It's very true. This darling girl knew I love her; she knew that if I could help her, I would. She knew that I couldn't help her that day, but she was just grateful for the time I spent sitting outside her cage. She knew I would have to leave her there but that I would never forget about her. The bond we formed that day will be with me always.

She too, met her unfortunate ending on Tuesday 1/8/08.

These three dogs' lives were cut short at the Carson shelter. They were not killed for irremediable suffering and definitely not for lack of spaces. There are empty cages at Carson and these three dogs could have been given more time. The reason they were killed? to keep the Carson shelter at a "manageable" level. It is one of the ways administration devised to keep the Carson shelter looking "clean" and "presentable" to the public after the media firestorm that resulted from the tragic death of Zephyr.

The LA County Department of Animal Care and Control is in dire need to acquire the "care" part to support its name. This definitely is not possible under the current leadership.

Meet Cooper (A3764901)

He arrived as a stray on 12/21/07.

He was supposed to leave Carson on 1/7/08 but when his guardian angel showed up to pick him up, she was told that he needs to be SAFER tested since he is of an "aggressive breed". He is to be SAFER tested in the morning - by someone who supposedly failed the class on SAFER assessment.

Does this look like the face and eyes of an aggressive dog?

You decide. Cooper is one of many dogs who are wrongly labeled as aggressive. Cooper's life is still in danger as we do not know what will happen in the morning when the staff takes him out to evaluate his temperament.

Justin's cremain

I was given Justin's cremain today. Along with the beautiful box that his ashes came in, there was also a clay impression of his paw print.

It is sad that all that is left of the beautiful puppy is in the wooden box. Justin was cheated out of the chance to be adopted into a good loving home. The only comfort that I can take is the fact that Justin's ending was not like that of Zephyr's. He went knowing love and human kindness from the staff at the hospital where he was taken to after we got him out of the Carson shelter. He got to experience the wonderful feeling of walking out of the Carson shelter through the front gate then jumping into my rescue partner's car where he enjoyed the ride immensely. Justin was able to live the last few days of his short life being cared for by compassionate people who loved him.

Their eyes

"Oh! you poor thing! I wish I can take you home with me! I wish I can take all of you home with me!" is what I hear most often when I am at any shelter - even the nice, private animal care facilities where the difference is night and day compare to the public shelter like the ones in the LA County shelter system. I understand completely this heartfelt desire to be able to help each and all of the dogs sitting in the kennel. This poor Rottweiler (A3764901) came in on December 21, 2007, wearing this chain and padlock. He is affectionate and friendly despite the word "Caution" written on his kennel card, despite being just skin and bone and severely neglected - he is still friendly and trusting. Are we as a race, that worthy of such unyielding devotion and loyalty?

It's in their eyes. Their eyes have the ability to form instantaneous, unbreakable bonds. All it takes is a single glance lasting no more than a nanosecond and I would find myself forever connected to the being peering out at me from behind the cage door.

It matters not the breed or mix of the dogs. They can and often express their emotional state through their eyes with a certain rare innocence and candor.

A3768163 came to the Carson shelter on new year's eve. I wonder if his family is out looking for him. I hope that he has a good family with people who loves him and are out there looking for him. Because if he has people who loves him, he still has the hope of going home again.

A3763282 strayed on December 15, 2007. She has been at the Carson shelter for a while now. She sits in her kennel hopeful and waiting. She has long since passed the legal holding period so now her life is likely in danger. Like the sentiment most often expressed by visitors at the shelter, I wish I can take her home. I wish I can help give her another chance to become a member of someone's family.


A3763253 is truly an unlucky girl. Not only is she homeless in a very high-kill shelter, she happened to be born as the most persecuted breed of dogs in history. As young (just a year old) and cute as she is, her chance of making it out of the Carson shelter alive is slim to none. Hers is a breed that has been abused, victimized, and wrongly branded with a reputation so terrible that any time a dog shows up at the shelter bearing a far removed resemblance to her breed, he or she will be relegated to certain death. Hers is a breed that has been betrayed over and over by a society that has long decided to turn and look the other way.

A3767669 will likely share the same fate as A3763253. He was relinquished and signed over to the shelter on December 28,2007. The look in his eyes tells me that he knows the fate he has been handed and even though it is very sad, he has resigned himself to accept it.


A3766326 can tell his story with this photo taken in the rolling crate at the Carson shelter.




A3753295 is a three-year old Husky mix girl abandoned at the Carson shelter by her family on November 17th, 2007. She has been there nearly two months on borrowed time. I wonder if she will make it out of there. I hope she does.


A3764494 should be able to go to his breed specific rescue group, but likely he is still at Carson because the groups are maxed out beyond their capacity. He must wait. He is not of a breed that has been shunned and deemed vicious by society so he still has a chance of catching a special person's eye and win over this person's heart. It is his only ticket out of the Carson shelter.

This wee pup of a girl arrived yesterday as a stray. At just two and a half months of age, A3769073 has the cute puppy factor working in her favor and as long as she stays healthy she will make it out of Carson. My hope is that she will be adopted by a family who will make the lifetime commitment of loving her, caring for her. providing and protecting her for the rest of her life.

I fall in love often. Each and every time I am at the shelter, my heart swells with love for them. I look into their eyes and we form an unbreakable bond. The promise I've made to them is reinforced and they know that no matter how tough it will get; how painful the heartbreak - I will never give up on helping them.

The Unwanted

It is a common sight to see the line of people out the door with animals in tow when one visits an LA County shelter. The dogs either sit quietly as if they understand what is about to happen to them or they would pace back and forth in distress and fear, every once in a while, they'd look up with the hope of catching their person's eyes. It is an extremely difficult and heartbreaking sight for anyone who knows the dog's capacity for unconditional love.

These dogs are the unfortunate victims of a disposable society. No longer wanted by their families, they are about to be disposed of at the shelter. Some are young, rambunctious; some are middle-aged and mellow. The absolute heartbreakers are the senior dogs.


A3764020 is an 11-year old male German Shepherd mix who lost his home on December 18, 2007. Despite his age and bad luck of being turned in at the Carson shelter, this wonderful dog still managed to look dignified in this shelter mug. He knows that his chance of making it out of the Carson shelter alive is slim. His family no longer wanted him because he is an old dog. It would take a very special person to see what a special gem he truly is.


A3765757 is a 13-year old male Shih Tzu who lost his home the day after Christmas.
They turned him in with his sweater. When I saw him three days later, he was curled up fast asleep on the plastic raise in his kennel. He was still wearing his sweater.
Despite all the commotions and barking around him, this sweet dog slept as if determined to shorten the hours he would have to be in fear and sadness because the Carson shelter is not the home he has known for the last 13 years of his life.


A3766777 is a 14-year old male Jindo who became homeless on December 27, 2007. The confusion and fear shown in this photo taken while he was still being held in the rolling crate never left him. He was found laying on the cold concrete on the outside part of the kennel still shaking with fright two days later when we came and met him. Those sad eyes are even sadder in person. He was curled up into a small little ball in the corner of the kennel.


A3767817 is the oldest of the bunch. At 15 years of age, this Labrador boy was dumped the morning we were at the shelter. It was the morning of December 29,2007. He is a gentle, wise, and well-mannered dog. He was put into the rolling crate and forgotten for over four hours.

He sat in the small rolling crate just patiently watching people passing by, waiting for someone to notice him sitting there. Not once did he bark or made any fuss from the cramp space he was in.

He was still sitting there as we were leaving the shelter. Just waiting.

The sight of the people standing in line waiting to turn over their dogs always hit the hardest at my heart. I have decided to stop asking the question "why?" a long time ago. It comes down to being able to dispose of responsibility without any second thought. The over abundance of everything in society have resulted in the ease of disposability - of practically almost any and everything including innocent lives.

These four sweet, sad and homeless senior dogs likely will not walk out of the Carson shelter alive. They are just four of many, many dogs who will meet their unnatural, untimely end at the hands of people they don't know; people who likely have been made apathetic and callous because it is part of the job to extinguish the lives that have become an inconvenience in a busy disposable world.

Westchester (A896771)

Westchester is about three years old. He has been at the West LA shelter (part of the LA City Shelter system) since August 27, 2007. He must be an exceptionally great boy to still be at the shelter for over four months.

I came across his photo on the last afternoon of 2007. His eyes expressed such a forlorn and profound sadness that they instantly brought tears to mine. They summed up the plight of the homeless animals sitting in shelters everywhere waiting for the chance to become a beloved member of a family; waiting for the opportunity to experience human kindness and to know what it is like to be truly loved back in return for all the unconditional love they have bursting in their hearts to give. Some quietly wait - even if it is for the inevitable end to come - they still wait, suspended in a state of perpetual hopelessness.

May the new year bring Westchester a great home where he will be an adored and cherished member of the family; where he will be loved and well-cared for by compassionate people who will be worthy of his unconditional love in return.

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.