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View Winners → LA County board wants answers on puppy killed at animal shelter
San Gabriel Valley Dec 20, 2022
| Photo courtesy of PxHere (CC0)
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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday ordered an investigation into the accidental euthanasia of a 3-month-old puppy earlier this month at the Baldwin Park Animal Care Center.
According to a motion by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Janice Hahn, a county Department of Animal Care and Control employee “erroneously authorized the euthanasia of a 3-month-old puppy named Bowie at the Baldwin Park Animal Care Center.”
“His death sparked outrage among community members who reasonably expect the county’s services to be conducted with care and precision,” according to the motion.
Solis noted during the meeting that even the mayor of Baldwin Park contacted the county about the puppy’s death.
The motion stated that despite county policies aimed at providing proper care for shelter animals, Bowie’s death showed that “many animals are not being successfully placed with viable adopters or rescues. It is time for the county to rethink its animal care strategy to maximize the number of animals that find their forever homes.”
The board ordered a report within 30 days on the circumstances of Bowie’s death, and a “plan to prevent similar incidents.” The board also called for a report in 90 days on development of a five-year plan to decrease the number of animals that are euthanized by the county.
According to the motion, between July 1 and Nov. 30, a total of 3,741 animals in the care of DACC were euthanized, out of 12,547 animals in the agency’s possession. That equated to roughly 30% kill rate — more than double the rate reported by the city of Los Angeles at its shelters in October, according to the motion.
“Let’s face it, all the animals that come into our care are innocent,” Hahn said.
She said animals that are in danger of being euthanized, especially those with behavioral problems, should be included in the Paws for Life program, which connects young people incarcerated at the county’s juvenile detention facilities with shelter dogs for training classes.
