S a v e T h e A n i m a l s S u m m i t
L o s A n g e l e s
A discussion on how to improve care and outcomes for animals in the Los Angeles City Animal Shelter System.
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- R e c e n t D e v e l o p m e n t s -
Click for details of the job opening for
- General Manager, Los Angeles Animal Services -
"Under the guidance of the Mayor, the new general manager will be responsible for implementing a low-kill/no-kill environment by 2008..."
The Search Committee Members
overseeing the process
of hiring the next
General Manager of Los Angeles Animal Services:
Madeline Bernstein (chair)
President,
SPCALA.
Dick Schumacher,DVM
Executive Director,
California Veterinary Medical Assn.
Roger Hatakeyama
Retired Manager,
City of Long Beach, Bureau of Animal Control.
Paul Jolly
Past President Los Angeles Animal Services Commission
Director, PETCO Foundation.
LeAnn Palm
Regional Vice-President,
VCA Animal Hospitals, Southern California.
Jack Vance
Managing Director,
Management Resources Inc.
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February 9th. 2004
LOS ANGELES
Animal Shelter Reforms Urged
Activists want city to emphasize breeding control instead of population control.
By Daniel Hernandez, Times Staff Writer
About 150 animal lovers — some clutching their favorite pets — gathered for an animal rights summit Sunday aimed at stopping the euthanasia of thousands of stray cats and dogs in the care of the Los Angeles Animal Services Department.
The Save the Animals Summit at Loyola Marymount University was held to launch a campaign to change city policy so that breeding control is emphasized citywide over population control. About 40,000 to 60,000 stray animals are put down by the city each year, a figure that activists called unacceptable.
"We're not going to let it happen anymore," said Warren Eckstein, a pet radio show host who organized the event. "We're going to stop the killing."
Shelter volunteers, animal advocates, veterinarians and pet owners denounced the department's practice of euthanizing unclaimed pets. Their grievances ranged from complaints about policies of not accepting credit cards to pay for adoptions to concerns about conditions inside the shelters.
"The lines are long, the staff is surly, they're not open on nights for people who work," said JoAnn Wagner, a Los Angeles animal rescuer and former shelter volunteer. "It's like they keep raising more and more fences for the people who want to get animals out."
Jeff Fleiss, an organizer who attends Animal Services Commission board meetings, said the city hasn't done enough to stamp out ineptitude. "It's just inefficient," he said. "Like the credit card issue. They keep saying, 'We have to look into it.' "
Paul Jolly, an Animal Services commissioner who attended the summit, said the animal rights activists hinder the work of saving stray cats and dogs by unfairly attacking the department. "Obviously, there are issues with the department. It's troubling," he said. "Unfortunately, I see the same problems in other big cities. Other cities have bigger euthanasia rates."
Jim Bickhart, an aide to Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa, said the councilman would ask the council's public safety committee to hold an official hearing on shelter reforms. "We do have some work to do there," he said. "We have some attitudes to change."
Copyright 2004 Los Angeles Times
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