Los Angeles pounds are poorly mismanaged, abusive houses of horrors

This is a fictional image of a dog pound created by AI. It looks nice doesn't it? Shame all dog pounds (shelters) are not as clean and colourful.

The words of the title come direct from someone who is the best qualified to write them: Nathan Winograd. This post is a reworking of his email to me. I hope he accepts. I want to get the message out but I have limited time.....

A recent report from the City Controller's Office indicates that Los Angeles shelters are euthanizing dogs at unprecedented rates. In August, the latest data available, 226 dogs were euthanized in L.A. shelters, marking the highest number since January 2022. Additionally, over 250 cats were euthanized in July, the highest figure recorded since that date. The kitten save rate plummeted to its lowest in July, with only 69% being saved.

The report suggests the cause is a staff that is incompetent, indifferent, and abusive.

Moreover, there has been an uptick in euthanasia, with dogs languishing for extended periods in dirty kennels without walks, often lacking clean water and comfortable bedding. This neglect leads to heightened stress, which then becomes a pretext for Los Angeles Animal Services to deem them "unadoptable," despite their health and good temperament outside of these conditions.

Simultaneously, cat rooms remain largely or completely vacant, as staff members reject stray cats, causing widespread abandonment. Near one shelter, volunteers have taken on the responsibility of caring for many abandoned cats.

Investigations by the Los Angeles Times have also revealed rabbits suffering from severe injuries, guinea pigs left without food, and hamsters confined in cages soaked with urine and faeces. Furthermore, when a staff member confessed to hitting dogs, it was the whistle-blower, not the perpetrator, who faced repercussions.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a motion that assigns blame for the killings in their animal shelters to various parties, excluding the actual responsible parties — the shelter's director and staff. The Supervisors also agreed on proposals that are unlikely to significantly reduce the killings, including the endorsement of potential statewide legislation. 

Moreover, a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed that the county's shelters are euthanizing more dogs, despite a decrease in intake and promises of increased adoptions facilitated by new facilities. The report highlighted violations of county policies by staff during euthanasia, a failure to consult with rescue groups beforehand, and inadequate visiting hours for potential adopters. The article did not address a key factor contributing to the rise in euthanasia: staff preventing non-profit organizations and No Kill shelters from rescuing animals, even upon request.

Rescuers have taken legal action against Los Angeles County under the Hayden Law, which prohibits such killings. The Court of Appeal ruled unanimously that shelters cannot euthanize dogs if rescue groups are willing to save them, barring cases of severe suffering or documented dangerous behavior. Despite this, the county continues to implement policies that circumvent this ruling. While the shelters may be modern, the staff's outdated attitudes result in a high mortality rate for the animals.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.

Marissa wanted to adopt one shelter cat but came away with two brothers

This is a classic. What I mean is that some kind people can't turn away from the obligation to adopt two cats at a shelter if those cats are bonded. It is a product of kindness and decency. Marissa Monteleone (@mydogsdope), 30, must be both kind and decent and an animal lover. And sometimes it is necessary to adopt two bonder pets together.

She visited the shelter with her husband with the intention of adding a cat to her family. They spotted a cat that they had fallen in love with online but when they arrived they found out that this particular cat had a brother who wasn't listed on the website. She explains:

"The shelter told us they weren't bonded and that they would be fine if we separated them. My husband and I immediately looked at each other and knew we would be leaving with both. We have two dogs already, Pluto and Astra. So, we brought the cats home and named them Rover and Cosmo to stick with our space theme."

The video shows them snuggled up together. Viewers understand why they've been kept together. They have adapted to their new home and adjusted to the new environment and met their canine siblings.

For a while, Marissa kept them separated from the dogs so they could become comfortable in the new home. As it happens, they never left each other's side. Rover is curious and loves to play while Cosmo is very sweet and a bit shy compared to his brother. They are, it is said, opposite but they complement each other.

The story is about going into a shelter to adopt one cat and coming out with two because you want to keep the cats together. This is a great act of kindness in my view and I think necessary if cats are very close which these two are. Of course you take a double the commitment which includes near double the expenses over the rest of the cats' lives.

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A post shared by Marissa Monteleone (@mydogsdope)

The story comes from Newsweek. Thank you. 

More: Who would adopt the 2 most undesirable companion animals at a shelter? This woman did.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.

Impending roof collapse forces animal shelter to clear the building

NEWS AND VIEWS: Cape Breton Shelter was forced to clear the building of dogs, cats and one rabbit over fears that the roof might collapse under the weight of heavy snow that fell during a snowstorm that lasted four days.

The Cape Breton SPCA in Sydney, N.S., as it appeared on Tuesday. The organization says there are concerns the roof could collapse under the weight of snow. (Sarah Lyon - image credit)

When Sarah Lyon was interviewed by CBC's Main Street Cape Breton in an interview on Wednesday, she said that staff were "prepping the animals and getting them ready for evacuation."

At the time the shelter had 45 animals including 19 dogs, both adults and puppies, and 25 cats and one rabbit.

The snow storm lasted four days as mentioned and staff stayed with the animals as they heard creaking sounds coming from the roof while it bowed under the weight of the snow.

Sarah Lyon said that the ceiling was starting to look structurally unreliable.

The shelter animals will be placed in other shelters until it safe to return. In the meantime a contractor went to the shelter to remove snow and ice from the roof. The building is 47 years old. Comment: that isn't very old but I guess they had to evacuate the building out of an abundance of caution. Questions should be asked about the original construction.

The report by CBC implies that the building will need work in order to test the structural integrity and potential repair. Comment: repairs might be expensive which is the kind of expense that an animal shelter does not want.

Further comment: is the first time that I have encountered a news story about an animal shelter where the roof might collapse under the weight of snow. I've been reading stories about shelters for the last 15 years so this is a novel situation which is why I am reporting it.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

When you rescue a shelter cat you save two lives

This is a very sweet, cat loving couple in America who have a wonderful relationship with domestic cats. That message comes across loud and clear in the video at the end of this article. Note: sometimes these sorts of embedded videos from news media website stop working. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

When you rescue a shelter cat you save two lives. Screenshot.

They've adopted all their cats from shelters and have seven. The lady says that rescue cats are begging to be loved and they will give love if given a chance. 

And she made a nice point about adopting a rescue cat at a shelter. She said that when you do that you of course, save the life of the cat that you have adopted because there is a chance that they might be euthanised if they stay at that shelter for too long because nobody wants them; and secondly, you potentially save the life of another rescue cat because you make room for the cat at the shelter. 

Often shelters are quite full and sometimes full to capacity so in adopting one cat you open up one space for a new rescue cat to be brought into the shelter.

I think that is a very nice way to explain one of the advantages of adopting a shelter. And the husband in this charming relationship says that if you visit a shelter and you meet the cats it's like meeting people. You will meet a cat or cats where there is some chemistry between you.

I am sure that there are many millions of people who don't believe that a human can have a relationship with a cat which contains that magic chemistry but I believe it can happen and you can make it happen at a shelter because you can meet a lot of cat sometimes.

Arguably, there is a much better chance of meeting a cat with that chemistry at an animal shelter than there is at a cat breeder selling a purebred cat. Cat breeders might have four kittens for sale or less. And kittens don't really have a formed character when they were young.

But if you meet a mature cat that has for some unfortunate reason found themselves at a shelter, they will have a character and this allows a connection to be made based upon your character and there's.

It's notable, by the way, that this couple have adopted black cats. That is unusual as well because typically, as you know I am sure, people tend to reject black cats at shelters and prefer to adopt kittens with a more interesting coat type.

Adopting a black cat from a shelter is a sure sign that the person is a true, died in the wool, cat lover. Both these people are. There is no question about it.

Video

Dog fan falls for a tiny rescue cat 'down a leg, two ears and a tail' but full of love and personality

This interesting looking small cat was bred in China and adopted by a couple in America which is very unusual in itself. It looks like the Chinese breeder is creating Chinchilla Persian-like dwarf cats. She is called Mochi. It is the first time I have heard of a Chinese cat breeder exporting internationally from the country where they eat domestic cats in the south.

Mochi. Image: Instagram (Greg McDouglas).

Mochi has become bit of a star because of her unusual appearance. And that has come about because of a very severe illness she suffered after she arrived in America. She developed ischemic dermatopathy. 

My understanding is that this was an autoimmune response which attacked her body leading to widespread inflammation which further led to necrosis in parts of her body. That's why her ear flaps were amputated and her tail. She also lost the paw of one leg

But, of course, it hasn't slowed her down one bit. She's made a full recovery and is flourishing in a home where she is deeply loved. The power of love is immense.

Mochi ended up in a shelter where she spent two months recovering.

A Boston couple, Greg and Natalia, were thinking about adopting a rescue cat and they hit the jackpot in adopting Mochi. That "jackpot" description refers to the possibility of them becoming celebrities vicariously on social media because sometimes interesting looking cats can become quite famous on social media.

Mochi in her nice home. Image: Instagram.

Greg McDouglas and Natalia have taken super care of her. When she arrived, she weighed 2.5 pounds as a tiny kitten but has grown to a healthy 4 pounds in weight. It is a very nice home. You can feel the love.

She is infectiously cute and people love cuteness. Greg is appreciative of the luck he had in being able to adopt Mochi. And Mochi is appreciative of the luck she had in being adopted by him and his partner.

Apparently, they were selected by the shelter because they had no kids or pets and they were young adults. That's an indication of the kind of profile that you might have if you want to be selected by a shelter to adopt a shelter cat.

The shelter by the way is the MSPCA Angell shelter in Boston.

Tiny rescue kitten with a big personality 😺
Down a leg, two ears & a tail but full of love. Link to Instagram page.

The video doesn't work very well but you'll get the story just fine.

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A post shared by Mochi (@mochi.boston)

One key factor in reducing stress in dogs and cats in shelters is human interaction

Stress has long been recognized as a significant factor in the well-being of animals, including dogs, and has been the subject of numerous studies in both laboratory and shelter settings. These studies have shown that stress can have both physiological and behavioral consequences, including the production of the hormone cortisol (also known as the glucocorticoid hormone). 

Volunteers sit with rescue animals to reduce stress during a storm. Image in public domain.

Elevated levels of cortisol can have negative effects on an animal's health and behavior, and it is therefore important to identify ways to reduce stress in animals, particularly those in shelters.

One key factor in reducing stress in dogs in shelters is human interaction. Research has consistently shown that social support, including interaction with humans, can help to buffer the stress response in animals, including dogs. This may be due to the fact that social interaction can stimulate the production of oxytocin, a hormone that has been shown to reduce cortisol levels and improve well-being.

Enrichment activities centered on human interaction, such as training and play, have been found to be particularly effective in reducing stress in shelter dogs. These activities can also help to improve the behavioral suitability of dogs for adoption, as they may reduce aggressive responses in temperament tests.

It is important to note that the effects of stress on dogs can extend beyond the initial exposure to a stressful event. There is evidence that long-term consequences of stress, including changes in behavior and brain function, can occur even after the initial stressor has been removed. This highlights the importance of addressing stress in shelter dogs not just in the short-term, but also in the long-term.