Today at the Carson shelter I saw something that was really disturbing to me… Many of the volunteers had just gotten finished filling the cages in building 300 with donated blankets. Shortly thereafter the kennel workers entered the building and started to feed the dogs. After putting new food in each cage, 1 guy went and turned on the watering mechanism… This is a faucet system that is positioned over each bowl in the run. Instead of first emptying each dog’s water bowl individually (like when he opened the cage to feed them), this person just turned the water on full-blast, causing every water bowl to overflow within seconds. After 30 seconds each run (the inside) was full of water, the donated blankets were all soaked, and many of the food dishes were partially filled with water. The dogs were made very uncomfortable by all of this, and many (sick) puppies under the age of 8 weeks were left sitting in puddles of water. The individual in question carried on with his business, as if this was all normal operating procedure. He absolutely saw what was happening, and didn’t care in the slightest to do anything about it. This type of crap is just a prime example as to why I say that some of the staff are “completely careless” and just “going through the motions.”

Allow me to put myself in this individuals position… If I were him, I would have manually emptied each water bowl into the drainage system at the same time that I opened the cage to put the bowl of food in the run. That way, each dog would have an EMPTY water bowl and you could literally stand there at the faucet system and watch the closest dish fill up, stopping it right before the brim and knowing that EACH bowl would have the exact same amount of FRESH water in it (since every bowl was emptied first). It’s a simple thing, and it just takes someone to give a damn, as well as a few extra seconds at each cage… There would be no flooding of the kennel floors, no scared dogs, no wet blankets, no wet food. Unfortunately, the guy who did this today is the same guy that always throws their food bowls into the cages–often times spilling them onto the floor–and then slamming each cage door shut with an unnecessary amount of ferocity. This is of course done while he wears noise-canceling headphones and goes from cage to cage like a robot who doesn’t even care to notice the animals inside. This kennel workers name is “R. Celaya.”

How is this type of daily mundane effort tolerated by management? Well, in my opinion it’s because the institution of sheltering from an LA County perspective suffers from a lack of leadership and compassion, starting at the very top (Marcia Mayeda, Gil Moreno) and trickling down and onto the very individuals that they employ. Of course, it leaves only the animals to suffer the consequences. Many of them catching colds, kennel cough (URI), pneumonia etc., and then being killed because they “showed symptoms.”

Gil Moreno ~ Carson Manager
gmoreno@animalcare.lacounty.gov

Marcia Mayeda ~ LA County Director
mmayeda@animalcare.lacounty.gov

And yet again, the shelter is claiming “parvo” as their reasoning for immediately snuffing this dog’s life out… Funny thing is though, when I was there photographing the dogs on Monday, this baby was sharing a cage with 2 other puppies! Last I checked parvo is HIGHLY contagious. Not that I believe their “parvo” claim to begin with, because the dog was never tested and there was no diagnosis made by an actual veterinarian… It’s just an easy justifier that allows them to get the dog out of the building. But, if it was true and it was “soooo obvious” that this dog had parvo–so much so that they didn’t even bother to do a test to confirm it, because you know, they could just automatically tell because they’re geniuses… Well then why in the hell would anyone put this dog out on the floor? With 2 other puppies, nonetheless! Aren’t they supposed to do an intake exam? This things smells like shit, and unfortunately this baby is no longer with us…

The top half of this image shows this dog’s kennel card upon intake–and it remained on her cage for many days after, with that same ID#. The bottom half of the image shows the kennel card from Monday, 11/21–miraculously with an entirely new ID#. This dog was impounded on 11/16 and numerous people have been networking her photographs since almost immediately after I uploaded them on the 17th. That means that in most cases confusion will likely win out, and that all the networking done over the last 5+ days has been linked with an incorrect ID#. Lastly, why/how is this happening? I understand that it may have been a simple oversight, or that to most people it may seem like something small–but for this dog it’s her lifeline. Many Pit Bull-type dogs are only given the minimum amount of time at the shelter, so to have something random and unorganized like this happen, it’s just really disappointing. She is currently still at the Carson shelter…

*Update* This dog was killed on 11/25.

So I’ve been in the process of doing multiple public records requests concerning the Carson shelter and the dogs that reside at their facility. 90% of my requests have been stonewalled, but I finally received the medical records concerning Rocky, a dog who was set to be rescued back in August of 2011. He was neutered on 8/19 and unfortunately died immediately after the surgery.

»These« public records show that Rocky was given a rabies vaccine right before he was put under. I know this because the date is the same, and they obviously wouldn’t have vaccinated a dead dog. If for any reason they vaccinated him immediately after he came back up from anesthesia but before he stopped breathing, well, that’s just as bad. I shutter to think if this is actually standard operating procedure inside of these shelters…

Vaccines, the over-vaccinating of animals, the side effects that come with, adverse reactions (both immediate and longer term), the potential for immune system damage etc. all have been thoroughly debated in the health community. Unfortunately the pharmaceutical industry does their best to steer the discussion, but we all know that when you actually advise a natural doctor the information is very much of a different tune. Vaccines ARE dangerous, and it’s horrifying that these dogs are getting these shots on the same day that they are undergoing surgeries and other procedures. Reactions can be magnified by the strain and stress of surgery, the anesthetic could react to the vaccine or vice versa, this is seriously playing with fire. Going further, the anesthesia already suppresses the immune system, so if a vaccine is introduced into the system at this same time, it is that much more capable of causing a long-lasting ailment linked with the blood, i.e. autoimmune conditions.

R.I.P. Rocky, you were a handsome and sweet dog.

These are all dogs that I encountered over the last week or so at Carson… Each dog has their own story, and each likely has their own human that utterly failed them, but these noted cases all strike a similar chord.

This is Midi & Spider, 2 dogs from the same household that were surrendered together on 11/4. Midi, the black one, was sweet as the day is long. Super loving, super calm. Spider, the blue/gray one, was very timid and horrified to be at the shelter. He was a nice dog but would never even get a chance…

Spider was killed on 11/12, Midi was killed on 11/14.

This is Monster & Muneca, 2 dogs from the same household that were surrendered together on 11/6. I was actually onsite at Carson taking photographs when these dogs were dumped. The family was confronted by a fellow shelter-goer and they explained that a neighbor’s Chihuahua had been walked into their yard and Monster chased after it. Animal control was called and they “suggested” that the family take Monster to the shelter. Gag! Muneca, the Rottweiler, was not involved in any way and the owner even went out of her way to say that she was “very sweet.” When pressed further about why they were surrendering their dogs, the wife said that she “was really stressed” and just needed to “get rid of them.” After dumping these 2, the family actually walked through the shelter in hopes of adopting another dog… I shit you not, this happened. Monster was wound up that first day, but every day after (about 5 instances) he was extremely sweet to me. Right across the kennel hall was his sister, Muneca, who was also extraordinarily sweet…

Monster & Muneca were both killed on 11/14. I dread the thought of them being reunited in the kill-room, while 1 watches the other be put down. If not that, 1 watching the other being led from their kennel, never to return. Minutes later, their fate then plays out the same way. Literally heartbreaking and another fine reason why some human beings are pieces of garbage with no compassion, empathy, loyalty, humanity, morals, work ethic, desire, focus, determination, etc.

This is Jada, a 7-year-old girl who had a massive tumor hanging from her foot. She was dumped by her owner on 11/8, likely without ever receiving medical care. Point is, her person was a coward who would rather dump his/her companion at a high-kill shelter instead of provide her with the proper care (or try a laundry list of other options), all of which would have been better than abandonment at a scary shelter like Carson…

Jada was killed, scared and alone on 11/16.

This is Pirata & Sparky, 2 dogs from the same household that were surrendered together on 11/9. They are STILL at the shelter. They both have shelter ID numbers that are 1 digit apart–yet they are old ID numbers (A4318547, A4318548), meaning that they were adopted out together from the Carson shelter many months back. Now, whomever adopted them way back when has opted to dump them back at Carson to potentially die… If these types of people are friends, well shit, who needs enemies?

*Update* Sparky was killed on 11/22, Pirata was killed on 11/30.

These 2 dogs, 1 male and 1 female, came from the same household and were surrendered together on 11/12. They are STILL at the shelter. It was clear within 30 seconds of observation that they likely got into a fight with each other at home. The male had fresh puncture wounds on his chest. Both dogs were extremely sad and depressed. They are being held in kennels that are right next to each other. It’s only a guess, but what seems to have happened is that after their scuffle (or 1 they were a part of with another dog), their owner immediately brought them to the shelter and dumped them, rather than take them to the emergency vet and have their wounds cleaned. After all, why would anyone do that? Humans are so fantastic! Knowing this, it’s then obviously far too much to suggest that they look into an obedience trainer for whatever issue the dogs may have had. You know, doing those “necessary things” that you’d think you’d wanna do for a “member of the family.” Are these ideas really out of the ordinary? Too much to ask? I mean, they’re both 2, so chances are they’ve been coexisting for awhile now… Oh well–the owner opted to just discard them like trash, and now here they sit…

*Update* Both of these dogs were killed on 11/23.

And finally… Yesterday, while photographing, I witnessed a surrendered 17-YEAR-OLD Shepherd-mix named Rock! This poor guy is so old that he could barely move, or maybe it was because his nails were about 10x too long and it was absurdly painful for him to take steps. Nevertheless, he gingerly made his way over to the front of the cage for some rubs… Where’s the dignity? Where’s the consideration? Where’s the respect, the loyalty? Whomever dumped this dog is the scumbag of the century… I certainly don’t know what Rock has left in the tank, but even euthanizing him at the family vet while in the presence of his loved ones would have been highly appropriate over this disgraceful betrayal…

*Update* Rock was rescued on 11/18.

This dog was surrendered on 11/2, about an hour before the shelter closed, because the individual that was keeping the dog claimed she was “sick.” This person then called the man who purchased the dog, and told him to come get her because he refused to keep her any longer. Once the dog was picked up, the man that “purchased” her couldn’t take her back to his apartment so he opted to dump her at the Carson shelter instead. The reason I know all of these details is because I witnessed the man dumping the dog, and spoke to him about it on 2 different occasions.

More importantly, the claim that the dog was “sick,” was just that… a claim. There was no visual evidence of the dog being sick, no medical diagnosis done prior to dumping her, and not even a simple vet visit scheduled. The man claimed he couldn’t give the dog that consideration, due to “not having any money.” He just “had no choice” but to dump her because his friend claimed something and then refused to keep her any longer. Here’s where Carson comes in… When surrendering, this man also relayed this story to the Carson staff. He then came back outside to say his goodbye to the dog, and luckily I asked to see his receipt so I could write down the dog’s impound ID# (A4361020). We continued talking for a few minutes and I CLEARLY WARNED HIM (again) THAT THIS WAS A HIGH-KILL SHELTER. He reiterated to me that “he didn’t want to see her die” and that he “hoped someone would save her,” but that he “didn’t know what else to do.”

He then leaves, and at this point the dog was up and jumping at the cage, actively stirring around and etc.

Yes–the dog was laying down for the most part, which the guy kept pointing to as “proof” that something was wrong… But that hardly constitutes a “sick” diagnosis. Numerous things could have been wrong, including her being SAD and DEPRESSED that she was being dumped at a strange place by someone that she clearly recognized… If by chance she was “sick,” there was a high probability that it was just something minimal that could have been taken care of in a matter of days. Point is, there was no vet visit, no diagnosis–and at this hour, no vet techs even on the property.

Fast forward 2 days… I was there again taking pictures, and I noticed that this dog was not being displayed in a public kennel. That night I called the switchboard line to run a handful of IDs, and was told by the phone operator that this dog was euthanized on 11/2. I told her that there must be a mistake, because that was the same night that the dog was dropped off. She checked again and confirmed that yes, the dog was euthanized on 11/2, and that it was because “she was sick.” I immediately filled out and submitted a Stipulated Order Violation form, and hoped to learn more of the details behind what happened here.

I later learned that the shelter claims that they “took her to an outside vet, and it was the outside vet that euthanized her.” Those were all the available notes on the dog’s file. The Carson shelter does have a veterinary office next door, but they are not affiliated with each other. I was told that they do not even use that hospital.

Allow me to restate a few facts:
~This dog was surrendered on the night of 11/2, at around 6pm.
~The Carson shelter closes at 7pm.
~I was physically there onsite until about 7:20, and this dog remained in the cage that was set aside for relinquished animals.
~There is NO vet techs on staff that late, as confirmed by volunteers.
~The dog was killed that same night, 11/2.
~The person surrendering the dog IN NO WAY TOLD, OR EVEN INSINUATED TO THE SHELTER STAFF THAT HE WANTED HER KILLED.

So how was this done? Who killed her, and why? What would lead anyone to believe that this dog was “irremediably suffering”? She was a nice, sweet, alert and highly adoptable dog!

It’s my opinion that the shelter had this done for no reason other than to fast-track her through the killing line under the veil of the “irremediably suffering” verbiage. It is also my belief that this violates The Hayden Act in more than 1 way. This dog was not suffering in any way, other than by being heartbroken because some douchebag that she was bonded with to some degree dumped her in a cage and walked away… If the shelter were to ever claim that this person wanted this dog euthanized, well that would be complete bunk and I can prove it. The even bigger fear is then, what if this happens WAY MORE than what we, the public, even realize? Sadly, it surely must…

The following video is of a 2-year-old momma and her 6-month-old baby, both Pit-mixes, that came into the Carson shelter on the same day (11/2). Sadly, the shelter separated them, but they can still see each other from an angle… They cry out to each other a lot, especially when I showed one of them attention–the other one wails, as to say “Wait, don’t forget about me!”

Mom ~ A4360782 ~ F/2yr
Baby ~ A4360785 ~ F/6mo

CARSON ANIMAL SHELTER
216 W. Victoria St.
Gardena, CA 90248
PHONE = 310-523-9566
FAX = 310-538-9229