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From model legislation, to support for activists, to advocacy, to conferences and seminars, to direct assistance, to legal action, the No Kill Advocacy Center is the only national organization working solely to end the systematic killing of animals in U.S. shelters. But we cannot do it without your support. Become a member of the No Kill Advocacy Center today. Together, not only will we save lives; but we will also create a future where every animal will be respected and cherished, and where every individual life will be protected and revered. Donate now by clicking here.

 

Update on No Kill Advocacy Center Lawsuit to Protect Animals

An officer at Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care & Control kicks a dog who is inhumanely restrained with a catch pole, a device which wraps a hard wire noose around the dog's neck. Another officer looks on, but does nothing. Note the filthy conditions of the room.

 

NEW! To read an article about the county investigating its shelter director for ordering destruction of e-mails relating to shelter investigation, click here.

To read a report about an officer dragging a dog with a broken back, click here.

To see a video (mpg4) of an officer kicking a dog, click here and then click here. (Please note: Images are disturbing. Requires Quicktime)

To see a video (wav) of an officer kicking a dog, click here and then click here. (Please note: Images are disturbing. Requires Windows Media Player)

According to a witness of a separate incident: "I was standing by the cat building,” says an animal lover in Los Angeles, when he noticed an employee of the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Control mistreating a dog: "she started dragging that dog across the hot asphalt while the dog rolled on the ground. Not once did she look back. She just kept dragging the dog. About 30 minutes later I noticed her dragging another dog across the hot asphalt not looking back while she dragged the dog."

A recently uncovered e-mail shows that the director of the facility has conspired to destroy evidence. In an e-mail to employees regarding a federal probe of controlled substances used to sedate and kill animals at the shelters, she wrote: "[W]e do not need a paper trail on this. Everyone, please delete these emails from your computers and empty the trash files." Allegations are being made this not only violates county policy, it may be illegal.

The Superior Court in Los Angeles struck two blows against animal mistreatment in Los Angeles County’s animal shelters by giving plaintiffs the first two victories in their lawsuit.

Read the Press Release by clicking here.

For the court order overruling County on Motion to Dismiss, click here.

For the court order ordering the County to allow plaintiffs to rescue animals, click here.

Background: The national No Kill Advocacy Center and two animal rescuers have jointly filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles County, its Department of Animal Care and Control, and the Department’s Director, Marcia Mayeda. The lawsuit alleges unlawful and abusive treatment of animals at all six Los Angeles County animal shelters.

Among the allegations in the 29-page complaint filed in Superior Court, the County Department of Animal Care and Control routinely:

• Kills healthy and treatable animals before their state mandated holding period expires;
• Misclassifies animals as “ill” or “injured” in order to kill them before their holding period expires even though the animals are not irremediably suffering as required by state law;
• Kills lost animals without making reasonable attempts to find the animals’ owners;
• Fails to provide adequate veterinary care to impounded animals, resulting in animal deaths;
• Fails to provide adequate nutrition, water, shelter and exercise to impounded animals and to treat the animals humanely and kindly;
• Refuses to release animals to rescue groups that are willing to care for the animals until adoptive homes can be found and, instead, kills the animals.

In addition, the County Department of Animal Care and Control unlawfully retaliates against animal rescuers and volunteers who publicize its unlawful treatment of animals.

For a copy of the press release, which includes background on the 1998 Animal Shelter Law, click here (Please note: Images are disturbing.)

For a copy of the Complaint, click here.

For a copy of the Demand letter, click here.

For a copy of the Retaliation letter, click here.

For video images (mpg4) of filthy conditions at the Carson shelter, click here. (Please note: Images are disturbing. Requires Quicktime)

For video images (wav) of filthy conditions at the Carson shelter, click here. (Please note: Images are disturbing. Requires Windows Media Player)

For photo images (jpg) of filthy conditions at the Carson shelter, click here. (Please note: Images are disturbing)

For additional photo images of filthy conditions at the Carson shelter provided by the public, click here. (Please note: Images are disturbing)

For photo images (jpg) at the Agoura shelter, click here.

For photo images of Zephyr, click here. (Please note: Images are disturbing)

For a copy of the letter to Supervisor Yvonne Burke in connection with the hearing on Zephyr's death, click here.

Please help us pay for the legal costs. To donate by check or make a secure online donation, click here.

Live in Los Angeles and want to get involved? Visit lacdacc.blogspot.com.

 

Shelter Animal Protection Law Under Attack

A state law in California that protects animals from immediate killing and inhumane treatment in shelters, as well as gives rescue groups important rights, is under attack and facing effective repeal as to some of its more progressive elements. The No Kill Advocacy Center is stepping in to try and save it. Learn more about the law by clicking here.

More information coming soon.

 

Fighting for the Animals of King County

In a historic vote for the animals, the King County (WA) Council voted to embrace the No Kill philosophy and require King County Animal Services to save 85% of all dogs and cats. In so doing, it embraced the programs and services of the No Kill Advocacy Center's No Kill Equation, the only model nationally that has been successful in creating a No Kill community. 

As a result, programs like Trap-Neuter-Return for feral cats, working with rescue groups, off-site adoption events,  foster care programs, medical rehabilitation and behavior socialization programs, and working with volunteers are now official Council policy in King County. The effort also received broad and overwhelming support from other shelters, rescue groups, and animal lovers from the Seattle/King County area and nationwide.

Unfortunately, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation's wealthiest animal protection organization, attempted to stop the vote. In a formal letter and testimony to the Council, HSUS officially asked the Council "to abstain from voting on the proposals at this time," disparaging the No Kill philosophy, and arguing for more study and analysis.

The No Kill Advocacy Center responded to HSUS' allegations showing that communities which embrace the No Kill philosophy and comprehensively implement the No Kill Equation can save in excess of 85% of animals very quickly.

We also argued that:

“Not only should the council ignore HSUS and not abstain from voting, it should signal its desire to end the killing by unanimously voting to achieve it by 2009. King County has the power to build a new consensus, which rejects killing as a method for achieving results. And the animals and citizens of King County can look forward to a time when the killing of savable animals in shelters is viewed as a cruel aberration of the past...”

“A ‘yes' vote (and follow-through by the animal services agency) will have two profound effects. First, it will save thousands of dogs and cats in King County who would otherwise be killed. Second, it will cement the County's place historically nationwide and encourage others to embrace the No Kill philosophy as well: ‘ If they can do it in King County, we can do it here!'”

Thankfully, the voices of compassion prevailed and the legislation passed. Unfortunately, King County's County Executive and officials who oversee the animal shelter continue to resist and the fight for the lives of King County's lost, homeless, and abandoned animals continues.

To read the No Kill Advocacy Center's letter to the King County Council in response to HSUS, click here.

To read an analysis of King County's shelter system, click here.

To take a photographic tour of the conditions faced by animals at KCACC, click here. (Please note: Some of the photographics are very graphic and disturbing.)

To read the Seattle Times story, click here.

To learn more, click here.

 

It is time to Fix Austin

FixAustin.org has just released a detailed and stunning report on the results of competing shelter-reform efforts in Austin, Texas, and Reno, Nevada. 

Austin's effort was spearheaded by the ASPCA and involved two shelters: the Town Lake Animal Center and the Austin Humane Society. Reno's competing effort followed the No Kill sheltering model of the No Kill Advocacy Center.

According to the report, at the one-year mark of the two cities' efforts, the results are remarkable:

• In Austin, one year of implementation of the ASPCA's "Mission: Orange" project did not improve the outlook for Austin's homeless animals: Austin's shelters killed 11% more animals and adopted out 4% fewer animals.
  
• In Reno, one year of implementation of the No Kill Advocacy Center's model dramatically improved the outlook for Reno's homeless animals: Reno's shelters killed 53% fewer animals in 2007 than in 2006, and adopted out 46% more animals in 2007 than in 2006.

Read the Fix Austin report by clicking here. (Please note: The No Kill Advocacy Center did not write the report and is not responsible for its content.)

Read "How We Did It" about the effort in Reno NV by clicking here. (Please note: The No Kill Advocacy Center did not write the report and is not responsible for its content.)

Read a prior report on Austin by clicking here. (Please note: The No Kill Advocacy Center did not write the report and is not responsible for its content.)

The power to change the status quo is in your hands. To learn what you can do to reform the animal shelter in your community, click here.

 

 

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