LONG BEACH ANIMAL CONTROL CENTER
IMPORTANT: On the animal's EVALUATION
DATE, some animals swill move NEXT DOOR to SPCALA's COMPANION ANIMAL
VILLAGE building. The others will be killed.
7700 East Spring Street, Long Beach
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 10:00 to 5:30
Saturday and Sunday: 10:00 to 4:00
Closed Monday and Tuesday
(562) 570-7387
| 10/9 - Wow! That newspaper sure pulled that article
really fast. It was all about the ribbon cutting for the Agility
Course. It mentioned some of our concerns regarding all their empty
dog runs while the Long Beach City facility is full full full. And it
mentions the family that had donated the money to purchase the agility
equipment. Which evidently isn't true. Here's a link
to the SPCA website which also describes the ribbon cutting event:
http://www.spcala.com/pages/newsrel.htm#RCC Now we
really don't care what the SPCA does with its money or what stories it tells
to its contributors, as long as it keeps its promise to take the dogs
from the Long Beach city and moves them to their facility and makes a good
faith attempt at finding them homes. Alternatively the arrangements
need to be renegotiated so that the City and its residents regain control of
the fate of the animals.
Currently the story line is that all the dogs have kennel cough (true).
Also true everywhere and has always been so. Kennel cough is trivial
and cheap to treat. It should not be a death sentence. Just move
them anyway and give them antibiotics and in two weeks they will be fine.
Right now the City folks are hanging onto as many of the sick dogs as
possible while the SPCA facility is less than half full. And the
overcrowding at the City side only causes the KC to spread faster. The
SPCA could reserve a whole building for these dogs and still have lots of
room left over. The City staff are trying very hard.
I can see that first hand.
Come on SPCA! Quit stalling, move some of those dogs and save
some lives.
|
| 10-8 - I am offering a link to a recent newspaper article:
http://www.gazettes.com/shelter
This describes the ceremony celebrating the new agility course at the LB
Facility. We find it very interesting.
We have received the adoption stats from the City of Long Beach from our
Freedom of Information Act request and we will be publishing this
information within a day or two.
There should be a way to confirm whether or not the agility equipment in
question belongs to and was purchased by the SPCA-LA or whether it was
merely moved there and belongs to a dog trainer who intends to teach classes
there. I will let you know.
|
| 10/7 - I should have updated this on Oct 4 to report
what we did that day. We feel very optimistic. AMRT was
shown some dogs that were available to us for rescue. One was a large
malamute that had kennel cough so the SPCA-LA had declined it. However,
evidently the SPCA-LA will take the dogs with kennel cough if the Long Beach
City staff will keep them long enough for them to get well. But the
Long Beach side of the facility is overcrowded with two or three dogs to
every dog run so having a malamute that weighs a hundred pounds an extra two
weeks makes things difficult. We have asked malamute rescue to try and
get this dog. We were shown a couple of pit type dogs and we are not
willing to move them anywhere but to Villalobos Rescue Center, the only
trustworthy pit bull rescue on the west coast. And they are full and
cannot take any more right now.
Then we were shown an adorable pomeranean that had kennel cough and thus
was denied by the SPCA-LA and a little benji dog that had been hit by a car.
This was a very unlucky little dog. We had hoped her injury would be able
to heal by itself with just crate rest. However, x-rays showed that her bone
had actually gone into her abdomen and she was unable to go to the bathroom.
She had already been there at Long Beach for four days I suppose as that is
the legal time. Actually I hadn't asked when her impound date was so that is
an assumption. She was in very bad shape and in pain.
Then she was even more unlucky in that just about every single orthopedic
veterinary surgeon in the country was on an airplane en route to some sort
of conference in Washington D.C. so we had a heck of a time getting her in
to see a qualified surgeon. And we were told she would absolutely die if we
waited until the conference was over and vets returned.
We did get her into Veterinary Surgical Specialists in Tustin this morning
and she had her surgery which went well. They also spayed her as they were
right there. This surgery wound up costing about twice what it would have if
we had used the vets we are accustomed to using but we had no reasonable
alternative given the circumstances.
We will be fundraising, not just for this surgery but for other medical
needs of Long Beach Shelter dogs that the SPCA-LA will not take due to
medical costs. We will save as many as we have funds to save. I have a
feeling that a lot of folks pretty fed up with the SPCA will be willing to
donate and I have already received two emails from supporters.
We also received a very interesting email from someone claiming to be an
employee of the SPCA-LA. I am quoting from this email:
In regard to the agility equipment. The equipment does not belong to
the SPCA nor was it purchased by the organization. It belongs to a
trainer who does after hour special training for people who pay for this
service. The dogs at the shelter benefit from this because when a shelter
worker notices a dog becoming agressive and not kenneling well they can
take the dog out and let them enjoy a run about the yard.So we are
pleased that SPCA funds were not used for this purpose. But the
ribbon cutting ceremony and the person standing there who represented the
family who donated the money for this agility course must feel a bit
confused, as I am .
We plan to continue to monitor the situation at the SPCA-LA and Long
Beach City shelter to make sure that everything possible is being done to
place these dogs and cats into homes. We ask the SPCA to do their fair
share and move the dogs from the Long Beach city side to the SPCA side so
that these pets can find homes. And we are recommending that the City
take back the responsibility for placing dogs and cats into homes so that
the future of these animals don't rest solely with the employees of the SPCA.
So keep watching. I will let you know how things are going.
|
| 10/3 - Well we have some interesting news to report. The
City has announced a policy of allowing rescue groups to officially adopt
from the City itself those dogs that the SPCA-LA declines. The SPCA
turned away a very sweet gimpy micro poodle and a Pomeranian yesterday.
So tomorrow, Oct. 4, I will be going there to arrange for their rescue.
The Micro Poodle may have an interested party adopting him. Several
rescue groups are interested in the Pom.
We notice that the SPCA-LA seems to turn away anything that requires any
kind of medical attention so we wondered if they were short of funds.
Then we discovered they received a very large donation and used it to build
an Agility Course. This was unveiled yesterday at a formal ribbon
cutting ceremony. So the dozen dogs they have in their care have an
agility course but the more than hundred dogs on the City side sit there
waiting to die.
Now we are working on an alternative plan. We are wondering what
would happen if we took those dogs that need medical care, but that the SPCA
won't take, and ask for donations from YOU to get these dogs the care they
need and then place them in homes. So instead of donating money to the
SPCA-LA to build more agility courses the money could be used for medical
care. The money received and spent on that agility course would have
paid for a full time vet for a year and that would save a lot of money and
lives.
What do you think? Let me know.
|
|
9/20 - SPCA Side had 30 empty runs at 11:00 a.m. and we were unable to determine
how many dogs were killed the night before or would be killed tonight except for
the dalmatian in kennel 606. Check back every day. Based on the
feedback I am getting you are all in that shelter and passing information back
to us. So this page should be updated nightly.
|
9/19
| The next several days reporting will be in the
form of a table with one side being what we found at the City side of the
shelter, and on the other side the status of the dogs on the SPCA side.
Our visits seem to confirm that the SPCA is very low on dogs, while
declining to take any dogs from the City if these dogs require medical care,
grooming, training, etc. |
| Date |
SPCA Side |
City Side |
Notes |
| |
|
|
|
| 9/18 |
Pretty empty - about 2/3 empty |
Lots of dogs. Notable is the italian greyhound,
Scipperke, and a grey poodle |
Looks like the SPCA is going out of business - they are so
empty - comment from one of our team members who visited today |
| |
|
|
|
9/14/03
| Update. We are going to canvas the shelter as often
as possible. Here is what we found Saturday at about 2:30. The
City side has some terrific dogs including a maltese, yorkie, schipperke,
red min pin, spuds mckenzie dog, golden retriever, and italian greyhound.
Numerous German shepherds and near mixes. A couple of rotties.
The City side was full. The SPCA side had 30 empty dog runs. We
didn't determine how many dogs were declined by the SPCA that would be
killed instead. This is information we need in order to put the whole
picture into perspective.
|
9/5/2003 - Long Beach at it again!!!!!!!!!!!!
| Yesterday, 9/4, we did a walk through the shelter.
The SPCA-LA side is about half full - lots of empty dog kennels. Lots
of room. We spotted two nice highly adoptable Chihuahuas and asked when
the date was when they would be moved to the SPCA side. We could tell
by the reaction of the Long Beach city staff that they didn't expect this
would happen.
Very puzzled we checked back today. And sure enough these dogs were
among the "unchosen". One is a three pound teacup Chihuahua in
cat room, 27/28 and the other about a 7 pounder in the main dog room kennel
601. So these dogs were condemned to die and are probably dead right
now, although Chihuahua rescue will try to get them out tomorrow. Yet
these dogs, if moved to either Orange County, Las Vegas, San Diego, or
Phoenix would have been snapped up. So why did they have to die?
Because the Long Beach city shelter does not adopt out it's dogs or cats.
They allow the SPCA-LA to pick through them and those that the SPCA-LA do
not want are all killed. Is anyone there even trying? Taking a
photo? Making a phone call? LA City did not call Chihuahua
rescue - I did.
Long Beach - is that what you had in mind when you gave the SPCA-LA a
million and a half dollars and the land where the buildings are? And
Long Beach actually pays SPCA-LA rent for the building it uses. And
Mr. Pitchford kicked in a million dollars. And these folks condemn two
highly adoptable dogs to die while their shelter is only half full.
What kind of idiots run the city of Long Beach anyway? Can anyone
there explain how this makes sense? Vote these guys out of office.
How about a recall election for all the elected officials of Long Beach?
Sounds like a plan to me.
Here is my proposed solution: At LA County they have a hold
program. You go into their shelter and see a dog you want. You
can put a first, second, or third hold on the dog. So when the dog has
been there long enough legally you can go in and adopt it. Long
Beach could take these holds. Then the dogs are legally available
about two days before SPCA-LA goes and chooses or not. So the public
can go in and put holds on the dogs, and adopt them directly from the city -
why give SPCA-LA $90 for doing absolutely nothing. The City of Long
Beach provides the staff, pays rent on the building, provides the food, etc.
And SPCA-LA takes the dog and grabs your money. Does that make sense?
So with this plan the most highly adoptable dogs will be adopted directly by
the public from the city and the SPCA-LA can then take the rest - those that
need a little help, or training, or grooming, or medical attention to be
adoptable.
Long Beach residents - isn't the above more in line with what you
expected when you handed over the money and land for them to build a
shelter?
Another suggestion - Kick their asses out of there and run that shelter
yourselves.
Shame on you Long Beach.
Here's what I need - I need a report every single day on how many empty
kennels the SPCA has and how many dogs were killed that day because the SPCA
didn't choose them. I need to start keeping track on a daily basis.
This information needs to be made public so YOU can see how YOUR shelter is
doing. Can someone please help me get this information every single
day. Thanks. |
7/26/03 - and the saga continues...
| We received the email below from Laura on 7/25 in the
morning. It took us about five minutes to mobilize to save this dog.
Unfortunately, there wasn't enough information in the below email to
adequately identify the dog, even though we did go down there and did
contact City Hall on this dog's behalf. We emailed Laura back
immediately but she did not return our email and without a phone number we
were then stuck. We could have saved this dog with adequate
information. Yes, we do want to receive these reports, but we need to
receive them with sufficient information to save the dog/cat in order to do
any good other than to just further document the problems at this facility.
Please, should you encounter problems there send us an email immediately
but provide the following information:
Kennel ID where the dog/cat is located.
Description of the dog/cat.
Sneak a photo. Cameras are small these days. Cell phones now
have cameras. I doubt these folks will forbid you to use a cell phone.
I doubt they will confiscate your camera. If this happens then skip to
the next step.
Tell us exactly WHO you spoke to, and whether this was a "city" employee
or an SPCA employee or a volunteer from either agency. All should be wearing
ID tags. If they aren't ask them specifically for their name and
title. Write it down.
Try to get the dog/cat's shelter ID. The shelter should have it.
There are no IDs on the cages. The City officials have told us they
are making it as easy as possible for people to adopt, but golly wouldn't it
be easier with ID's on the cages so when you go to the desk you know which
dog you are asking for?
If you cannot get the ID by standing at the desk, insist a staff person
go with you to the kennel so you can get the ID.
If the dog is unadoptable due to failing a "temperament test" find out
exactly who (the name) was the tester. Ask for that person's
credentials. Animal behaviorist with a Ph.D.? Clerical person?
Kennel Attendant? Volunteer? Professional dog trainer with years
of experience? Any training at all???
This is the information we need to be useful.
SPCA is having their big fundraiser on Aug. 2. I wonder if they are
stalling on providing us with the information requested via the Freedom of
Information Act until after this is over. We really would like to know
the euthanasia stats there since the "partnership". I am sure anyone
considering making donations to the SPCA-LA would like this information
also.
When you are there, ask specifically "which dogs and cats today were NOT
selected by the SPCA-LA and are going to be killed at the end of the day
today." Write them down. Call someone or send me an email.
Nobody is fighting for these dogs but us, and Long Beach is making it
difficult for us to do so. No photos, etc.
--------------------Email from Laura
--------------------------------------
I was at the Long Beach Facility today and found a dog I liked, it was in
the 'City Building' not the SPCALA side. The dog was social and friendly,
I spent about 40 minutes (all together) with him. I observed him from a
distance as other people and kids approached his cage....he was a calm
tail wagging, hand licking dog to any and everyone.
I went to the Shelter office to ask about his availability date, they told
me the dog became available "yesterday" and directed me to ask the SPCALA
about the adopting him.....so I did. The SPCALA employee at the desk told
me "that dog is neurotic, and unadoptable", Their "trainer" analyzed /
evaluated the dog and came to that conclusion".
There's that story..... now,
What's this stuff I'm reading on the Long Beach web site about killing
decent dogs and 'keeping the public ignorant to goings on there??
Is all this stuff still happening now?
Was that dog just another 'victim?
Is there really an 'evaluation "Expert" there?
I'm writing you and wondering all this because I encountered this same
situation at Long Beach about a year ago regarding another different dog
there that seemed to be happy and healthy too...but "unadoptable".
If you know about any of this, I'd like to be clarified, because it's all
a little fishy to me now.
Thanks for your time~
Laura
|
Below are three letters - the first is the Official Response
from the city of Long Beach, the second is our official response to that
letter. The third is our reaction and interpretation of what is
happening. Finally there are my own observations - which will be
short - Please read.
|
  
CITY OF LONG BEACH
department of Health
and Human Services
Bureau of Animal Control
June 5, 2003
Laura Beth Heisen
AMRT
P.O. Box 1666
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
Dear Ms. Heisen:
I am in receipt of your emails dated May 24 and 28, 2003, indicating a
concern about the City’s Animal Control Bureau. I would characterize your
concerns as follows:
·
How is the Animal Control Bureau restructuring the web-based
listing of photographs of lost or stray animals to assist in reunification
with owners?
·
How can the Animal Control Bureau provide access by non-profit
animal rescue organizations to animals the spcaLA chooses not to make
available for adoption?
Prior to the receipt of your letter, the Bureau was already in the process
of developing our website to show as many stray animals as possible. This
project will enhance the viewing of animals and assist owners in locating
their lost animals. We envision that the website should be up and running
in several weeks. Additionally, we are working with the City’s HomeTown
Television Channel (21) to also run these photos as a part of their
programming schedule.
I understand your
concern about the animals the spcaLA chooses to not make available for
adoption. It has always been the Bureau’s procedure to refer any
interested party to the spcaLA for a reevaluation of an animal even if it is
not on their adoptable animal list. It is my understanding that, in most
cases, the animal is then made available for adoption to the interested
person. This process attempts to address the fact that all animals that
have interested parties have an opportunity to be adopted.
Non-profit animal rescue groups have access to animals the spcaLA chooses to
not make available for adoption. The Bureau is currently finalizing the
paperwork necessary to create a mechanism to better assist non-profits, who
are 501c3 organizations, in rescuing these animals from the shelter. I will
be happy to send you the application as soon as it becomes available.
Page 2
June 5, 2003
Finally, the Bureau is creating information handouts and facility maps to
assist both the animal owner looking for their lost pet and the general
public looking for adoptable pets. I am sure that these changes in our
operations will assist in getting more animals back to their owners and more
animals adopted into loving homes. Thank you for your concerns and support
in finding animals homes in the community. If you have any further
questions, feel free to contact me at (562) 570-PETS.
Sincerely,
Roger Hatakeyama, Manager
Bureau of Animal Control
Cc: City Attorney
Michael Johnson
|
Dear Mr. Johnson,
I continue to be disappointed. You said yesterday that it would become
possible to adopt animals from the Long Beach Shelter. As Mr. Hatakeyama
(predictably, unfortunately) says in the letter, the policy will continue of
never allowing animals to be adopted from the Long Beach shelter. The
policy will continue of allowing the spca-LA to make all decisions of which
public animals live and die. The policy will continue of turning the City's
back on adoption fee revenue. The policy will continue of permitting
unnecessary death. The policy will continue of breaking State law by having
a policy that reduces adoptions and increases euthanasia.
Mr. Hatakeyama claims that this is all fine because animals can be
transferred to the spca-LA side for adoption. First, that is a ridiculous
and overly-cumbersome policy which still prevents the taxpayers from
generating any adoption fee revenue. Much worse, it is a false hope.
We all know that this happens rarely if ever. We all know that the shelter
does not make this possibility known. It is not advertised. It is not
volunteered by shelter employees to adopters. There is no reason for a
member of the general public to request this procedure since they have no
reasonable method of learning that it is theoretically possible.
Mr. Johnson, that "procedure" is an excuse, and we find it insulting that it
is suggested as a method to get around a state law and to excuse unnecessary
killing.
You said we could have the meeting if we are dissatisfied with Mr.
Hatakeyama's letter. We are absolutely dissatisfied with the letter. We
raised the issue of the legal, policy, and humane violations by not adopting
animals from the Long Beach shelter. The letter says that animals are still
not allowed to be adopted from the Long Beach shelter.
Please let us know with whom at Health and Human Services we will meet and
when. We do not care if Mr. Hatakeyama is present or not, but since he is
completely ineffective in curing problems, we do insist that someone
representing the City of Long Beach above Mr. Hatakeyama be present. We
believe that the proper person is Ronald Arias, and we make ourselves
available for a meeting at his convenience. We do need to have this meeting
within the next two weeks. If Mr. Arias is not available during that time,
then please arrange the meeting with the City Manager instead. It is well
past time that the City of Long Beach take this matter seriously. It is
clear that Mr. Hatakeyama does not.
Thank you.
~ Laura Beth ~
www.AMRT.net
See Photos of Wonderful Shelter Pets Needing Homes Now
|
Hi. Here is the response from the Shelter Manager (the same one who wanted
to kill GoTeam for being a public danger, just days before she passed every
element of her behavior assessment by a professional behavior assessor and
trainer(.
The Shelter Manager's letter totally mis-states our concern and fails to
address the issue - it remains impossible for available and adoptable
animals to be adopted from the Long Beach shelter.
The Shelter Manager's excuse is that it is theoretically possible to adopt
an Unchosen animal -- just not from the Long Beach shelter. Instead, a
person who wants an Unchosen animal must get someone from the spca-LA side,
say they want one of the Unchosen, identify the one they want, have the spca-LA
evaluate the animal (again, the spca-LA makes the decision and not the
adopter), and then, if the spca-LA agrees, the animal is transferred out of
the Long Beach shelter to the spca-LA, and finally the person can adopt the
animal from the spca-LA.
....easy, huh? Anyone would know to ask for this procedure, huh? Don't
think so.
Bad theory, worse in practice. We know that these public-requested
transfers are very rare. Why? First, it is discouraged. Never
advertised. No posted signs. Employees do not volunteer the information.
Second, it is so counter-instinctive and counter-intuitive for a regular
member of the adopting public to even think to ask for such a procedure that
they just do not ask. Which pleases the Long Beach shelter -- keep people
uninformed so they do not ask, and that means that Long Beach and spca-LA
can pretend to have the policy but never have to actually do it.
Most people would never automatically assume that Long Beach lets the spca-LA
pick the animals it wants and then Long Beach kills all the Unchosen. Most
people would just not think to ask for this procedure to be followed, and
you can bet anything that Long Beach is not making it known.
NO other shelter works this way, and it is an over-complicated convoluted
procedure that no one would believe a modern City nor a group purporting to
help animals would follow. But Long Beach and the spca-LA do follow this
deadly policy.
People see one set of animals for adoption at the spca-LA. They see an
entirely different set of animals who are not marked for adoption at the
shelter. So they assume the animals at the Long Beach shelter are not
adoptable at this time and move on. What they don't know is that the
Unchosen will NEVER have their chance for adoption. Long Beach does not
tell the public. Long Beach just kills the Unchosen.
So even if the Long Beach shelter does in theory have this procedure, the
procedure, by design, does not happen except in rare circumstances. Why?
Because management does not want it to happen. It would be easy to adopt
animals from the shelter. And legal. Long Beach and the spca-LA have an
agreement that just will not let it happen. Instead, they try to hide
behind this so-called procedure which they do not tell the public, and they
keep on killing.
Imposing this cumbersome, hidden procedure is nothing but the Long Beach
shelter's method to undermine the State law to increase adoptions and
decrease euthanasia.
Long Beach should be ashamed, and Long Beach residents should be outraged.
Why is that man running the shelter? And what about those in charge of the
Long Beach Health and Human Services Department which oversees the Long
Beach shelter? They simply pass the question off to the Shelter Manager who
knows only to kill, while Health and Human Services pretends it is serving
the Long Beach public.
No, Health and Human Services. You are doing an enormous disservice to the
public, to the Long Beach taxpayers, to the animals, and to the State law
you are still refusing to follow.
The shelter manager is Roger Hatakeyama. Don't bother contacting him. He
shows no sign of caring about animals, public service, or the law. The
Director of Health and Human Services is Ronald Arias, 2525 Grand Avenue,
Long Beach, CA 90815, phone (562) 570-4000, fax (562) 570-4049. Let Mr.
Arias know what you think of Mr. Hatakeyama and what you think of Long Beach
knowing the problem and doing nothing. Still, the spca-LA is making
decisions about which public shelter animals live and die. Still, the State
law is not being followed. Still, no animals are allowed to be adopted from
the Long Beach shelter.
Bye,
~ Laura Beth ~
www.AMRT.net
See Photos of Wonderful Shelter Pets Needing Homes Now
|
| I am only going to comment about the Long Beach plans
for their own website. The site is already up. There is no
reason why it cannot be fully functional NOW. There are sufficient
volunteers and employees to photograph every single dog, cat, rat, bird, etc
that comes in. This is done at Orange County, LA County, LA City.
Roger's comments that there would be as many "as possible" gives me the
chills. What does that mean? How many Long Beach pets have to die
because Roger is afraid to let us take photos and in fact resists having
photos at all? Please Long Beach Residents, let your elected
officials know how you feel about this. Better still, go down there
with a camera and dare them to kick you out. Legally they cannot. The
shelter is a public place serving a public function. It does not matter that
the building is owned by the SPCA and they do not allow photos. The
SPCA has a very nice expensive professionally designed website and all the
pets are on it. They aren't taking photos of the lost animals.
So someone must do it. - Carolyn |
Update - 6/1/03 - You will find
this very amusing!!
Dear Carolyn,
Having read the info on the web site, I thought I would go down and look
around the LB shelter. I have not been there since they moved to this
facility. It was not a nice experience.
I just wanted to see the facility. I asked the visitors desk if they had a
map, and what the difference was between the SPCA and the City Shelter. They
said that there were animals at both locations that I could see and that
after the waiting period was up on the City side of the facility, they would
"chose" which animals they wanted to place in the SPCA side. So, I said I
would wander through both. The gentleman told me how to get to the Shelter
side, and I just followed his directions. I walked on though and over to the
outside dog facility. As I walked past the first 10 cages about, I saw a
little Lhasa and knelt down to talk to it. After a few moments, I took out a
camera and snapped his picture, along with the little chi that was two cages
down. I was soon surrounded by four shelter works in beige shirts or with
badges and walkie talkies. GAAWDDD. You would think I had stolen plutonium
from a nuclear facility! ::laughs::
I was told I could not take pictures and I said OK, I was sorry. But that
was not enough. I was told I had to talk to the lady with a badge (R.Barnes
#14). So I said fine. She asked if I was with anyone. I said NO, I drove
here alone. I told her I was looking for a small dog for a friend, as my
friends will not visit shelters. It is too heartbreaking. She said that I
could not take pictures, and I said fine. I had my camera in my purse by
now. I told her I would walk around and asked if I could go in the room we
were standing outside of. She said yes, by all means. Then, as I passed
through a door, she was talking on the walkie talkie again, stopped me and
said that they want me to "check my camera" at the front desk. I told them
No, and that I was feeling uncomfortable and would leave. I asked for her
card, and followed her across the lawn area back to the front desk. I
apologized for missing the sign that said we could not take photos, as she
had made some reference that it was marked. So when we got up front, I asked
where the sign was. She said there was none. That they had "something"
pinned to the wall in "their" office that said no pictures. Another lady
behind the desk said that if I wish to take pictures, I should have "checked
in at the desk and gotten permission". I apologized for that too, and asked
where that sign was. ::laughs:: Well, that does not exist either. I thanked
them for the card, asked again if this was a city shelter and if Beverly
O'neill was the mayor. I said thank you and left.
The business card was given to me by R.Barnes #14 and on the back she wrote
Lt. Moore and Lt. Quigley, as people to contact if I had questions.
I felt like I was in an Iraqi camp where they hide weapons of mass
destruction. I guess I may not be too far off ... just no Iraqis. Anyway,
that was my day. . Photos attached.
-------------------------------------------
Long Beach residents - this is your shelter and the
employees of the city of Long Beach work for you. Is this how you want
YOUR shelter to be run? And these are YOUR dogs. Let your
elected officials know how you feel about how the citizens of your community
are being treated by your employees. C. |
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Update 5/25/03 -
She is ours!! On Thursday, we made our fourth trip to the shelter to try to
adopt her. We signed a lot of paperwork. And the wonderful Long Beach
Deputy City Attorney kept his promise and we were allowed to adopt her!!
She is not yet spayed and so she cannot leave the shelter. She is spending
the night in the shelter's quarantine area. She heads off to the vet
tomorrow to be spayed (we are not sure what day they will operate - it might
not be until Sunday). After her surgery, she will have a few days to relax
and then our professional behavior assessor will check her out. If she does
not pass, it will be our obligation to euthanize her. If she passes the
test, we will make sure this dog finds a great home. Now, she is guaranteed
her chance to show whether or not she is a nice dog. She seems so
submissively sweet to so many people we trust who have met her -- including
two trainers. The final decision will be made by our behavior assessment
professional.
What a day! What a week! But she is legally ours now and with
everyone's help and encouragement, she will have her chance. Thank you so
much to everyone who has helped with visits to the dog, talking with the
shelter staff, calls to the City, EMails and telephone calls of
encouragement, and sending good karma, prayers, or whatever good things you
happen to have sent to our little terrier girl. It worked!
Of course we will keep you posted.
Pepper - a female two year old lab/terrier mix, was spayed and is now
settling in at the vet's office awaiting a visit from an experienced dog
trainer.
We will be changing her name - and don't yet exactly what name it
will be. I am leaning towards GTTCPC. It's not pronounceable but
kind of catchy, don't you think?
I held her tonight and she snuggled in my arms and gave me a little kiss.
It was worth it.
-----------------More updates--------------
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Unfortunately, while we were able to save the life of the
lab/terrier mix called Pepper, it was a struggle. We prevented the
employees of that shelter
we prevented them from violating State law, under the Hayden
Law, but only after a great deal of effort, lots of phone calls, etc, and a
lot of help from all of you.
The unfortunate result however is that the shelter staff
have forbidden us from taking more photos. They don't like the
attention that our website gets. We have a national following.
We believe that the Long Beach City shelter cannot prevent
or forbid us from taking photos.
The shelter side is a facility where the public is invited, labeled as a
public facility, operated by City employees paid by the City, and performing
required public services using public tax dollars.
In the meantime, dogs and cats are brought into this shelter
every single day. And many of them (we don't know the numbers but are
going to find out) are not selected by the SPCA-LA to move to their facilty
for adoption. These "unchosen" are then sent to a mass grave in some
landfill.
We have discovered that many dogs are deemed unadoptable or
marginally adoptable as they arrive, and these are moved into kennels with
numbers in the 700 range. Some are healthy but older.
When I was there on Thursday there was a woman inquiring about a poodle in
kennel 701. Knowing the numbering scheme I recognized that this dog
would not be moved into the SPCA side. It was an owner turn in.
I wonder if the owner knew when dumping the dog that it would be moved into
the "less adoptable building" and then be killed after six days. Would
that person have left the dog? Does that person care? That
poodle, 8 years old, if moved to a shelter in Orange County would be snapped
up and treasured. Instead, the SPCA-LA who decides who lives and who
dies, will see an older dog and likely pass on this one. And there
were three other nice little dogs in the same kennel 701.
Nobody fights for the Unchosen. They simply disappear
at the end of the day. We aim to change that. Right now we need
YOUR help. We need you to go there every day that they are open, go to
the kennels that start with 700, and photograph and/or take notes on what
you see there. Remember this is a public place. If you are
a Long Beach resident, this building belongs to YOU.
Then email me back with what you find. The results of
your efforts will be posted here.
carol@amrt.net
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ABANDONED
& DEPRESSED…
I was at the shelter when the owner surrendered this poor dog. I watched
as the dog stood at the owner’s side, almost begging for one more
chance. He stood on his hind legs and tried to put his head in the owner’s
hand to get a comforting caress, but that did not happen. The owner told
the shelter he just didn’t want the dog. No reason…just didn’t
want him. I watched as the shelter personnel took the dog by his chain
and the man walked out…the dog still turned his head back, looking
for his owner, and obviously confused about why he was there. I later
saw him in a kennel alone…walking with his head down and his tail
between his legs. He had a lot of loud barking neighbors so he seemed
very scared. I could not get very close picture of him, but wanted to
make sure he got a second chance. I keep referring to him as a “he”
- but I actually do not know if it is a male or female. He is mostly black
with a little white, medium sized dog with thin type hair. I would say
he’s approximately 3 years old and weighs about 35 pounds. This
dog deserves a loving home with a family that does want him.
Kennel: 713
ID#: 93?
Available: Unknown |
Directions:
From 605 South freeway: Exit the 605 at Spring Street / Cerritos Ave. Turn
right at the fork in the ramp. Drive over to the left-hand lane on Spring
Street. Turn left into the El Dorado Nature Center.
From PCH: Get to the Traffic
Circle, and go North Los Coyotes Diagonal two miles. Turn right on Spring and
go two miles to the El Dorado Nature Center on your right.
The El Dorado Nature Center's Park Ranger at the booth will give you a free
parking pass.
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