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View Winners → Local Animal Rights Advocate Laura Jones Takes On The Big Dogs At La County Department Of Animal Care And Control As Government Sanctioned Investigation Ensues
News Aug 24, 2015
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– In her latest move to enact change while exposing the deplorable conditions and hidden problems that have long plagued Los Angeles County Shelters, local animal rights advocate Laura Jones and her team launched the All About The Animals LA County Shelter Survey.
The survey, which reaches out to rescue related 501c3s in LA County and adjoining counties, urging them to “speak out for shelter animals”, is designed to gather thorough and representative feedback from the concerned and unfairly stifled rescue community. Rescuers are encouraged to participate in the survey which can be found by clicking Campaign For Reform Of LA County Animal Shelters at www.allabouttheanimals.org.
Jones will share the results of the survey with Supervisor Don Knabe’s team during a meeting scheduled for early next month coinciding with the conclusion of the government sanctioned Department of Animal Care and Control / CEO investigation. The probe was ordered by Supervisor Knabe after Jones addressed the Board of Supervisors on August 18 with her complaint and presented them with a petition signed by more than 5,000 people.
Jones first challenged the department on August 5 after capturing and sharing via social media shocking images of dogs wallowing in their own excrement at the Downey Animal Care Center.
Appalled, Jones had to take action, despite knowing that throughout the years most calls for change to the DACC fall on deaf ears. Or worse, may put the concerned party in danger of retaliation from the department.
Fortunately this time the story has been picked up by numerous high-profile media outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Long Beach Press Telegram, KNBC and KFI-am 640 where Jones went head to head with the oft-challenged Director of the Department of Animal Care and Control, Marcia Mayeda. Jones believes the recent media attention has been instrumental in attracting the attention this issue deserves.
“Sadly this is not a new issue,” said Jones, co-founder of All About The Animals, a grass-roots network that brings together animal advocates to save and help innocent lives from high kill shelters throughout the United States. “Historically the DACC has been known to retaliate against rescuers who have ‘whistleblown’ against the department.”
“We are nervous to speak out because the LA County Department of Animal Care and Control will make up any excuse to take our pull rights away,” said a rescuer who chose not to be named but expressed relief that the All About The Animals LA County Survey will facilitate anonymity. “This has happened in the past and were petrified of it happening again.”
Jones points to a 2007 civil lawsuit against the DACC and Mayeda as an example. In this case, Mayeda banned rescuer Cathy Nguyen from adopting from LAC shelters after she filed the suit. This was overturned when the case was settled.
More recently in 2014, animal activist and blogger Josh Liddy was banned from volunteering at the Carson shelter in 2014 after speaking out about LA County shelter conditions on his blog www.swaylove.org. The response to his volunteer application, which was received 7 months after submission, called him “disruptive”.
“Mayeda makes numerous excuses for the conditions but fails to ever take any personal accountability despite her $200,000+ annual salary funded by taxpayers,” continued Jones. “It is time for change. The homeless animals of LA County deserve better.”
The animal rescue community will be silenced no more.
