A Companion Animal Care Article from All-Creatures.org



Share

LA County Shelter Must Allow Rescuers to Rescue

From Nathan Winograd
December 2023

When rescuers offer to save them, shelters cannot kill dogs by claiming that "the animal has a behavioral problem or is not adoptable or treatable.”

Dog Bowie
Bowie sat in Building 3, locked away from public view, in a cage by himself. Still, Bowie had an out. A rescue group came forward to give Bowie what staff at LACDACC would not: safe harbor and time — time to abandon fear, to forget a haunted past, and to learn that humans can be trusted after all. Most importantly, they offered to provide him with a loving home. It would be of no use. The same day that rescuers expressed interest in Bowie, LACDACC had killed him without warning. Read more at The Short Life and Tragic Death of Bowie (January 2023).

In a victory for dogs and their rescuers, the California Supreme Court ruled against Los Angeles County’s bid to kill dogs rescue groups are willing to save.

When rescuers offer to save them, shelters cannot kill dogs by claiming that "the animal has a behavioral problem or is not adoptable or treatable.”

That is now binding law throughout the state, and every California shelter must comply. The No Kill Advocacy Center filed an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to deny L.A. County’s petition.

As we explained to the Justices, shelters are not competent — and ought not to be trusted — to determine that a dog is “unadoptable.”

Return to Companion Animal Care
Read more at Litigation Articles