After repeated attempts, SPAY(CE) co-founder Esther Ruurda said her nonprofit gave up on finding the dog or a home for him, since \u201cno one has space for an adult male Pittie these days.\u201d So \u201cthe poor dog is left to die in the shelter.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Chuco, a roughly 3-year-old pit bull, whose owner was deported last month. A friend took Chuco in, but his landlord reportedly dropped the dog at a shelter and would not say which one. <\/p>\n
(SPAY(CE) Project)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not an isolated incident. Since federal immigration raids, primarily targeting Latino communities, began roiling Los Angeles in early June, animal rescues and care providers across the county are hearing desperate pleas for help.<\/p>\n
At least 15 dogs were surrendered at L.A. County animal shelters due to deportations between June 10 and July 4, according to the county\u2019s Department of Animal Care and Control.<\/p>\n
Pets belonging to people who are deported or flee are being left in empty apartments, dumped into the laps of unprepared friends and dropped off at overcrowded shelters, The Times found.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless people do take the initiative [and get the pets out], those animals will starve to death in those backyards or those homes,\u201d said Yvette Berke, outreach manager for Cats at the Studios<\/a>, a rescue that serves L.A.<\/p>\n Yet with many animal refuges operating at capacity, it can be difficult to find temporary homes where pets are not at risk of euthanasia.<\/p>\n Fearing arrest if they go outside, some people are also forgoing healthcare for their pets, with clinics reporting a surge in no-shows and missed appointments in communities affected by the raids.<\/p>\n \u201cPets are like the collateral damage to the current political climate,\u201d said Jennifer Naitaki, vice president of programs and strategic initiatives at the Michelson Found Animals Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Worrying data Cats curiously watch a visitor at the AGWC Rockin\u2019 Rescue in Woodland Hills. Manager Fabienne Origer said the center is at capacity and these pets need to be adopted to make room for others.<\/p>\n With shelters and rescues stuffed to the gills, an influx of pets is \u201canother impact to an already stressed system,\u201d Berke said.<\/p>\n Dogs \u2014 large ones in particular \u2014 can be hard to find homes for, some rescues said. Data show that two county shelters have seen large jumps in dogs being surrendered by their owners.<\/p>\n The numbers of dogs relinquished at L.A. County\u2019s Palmdale shelter more than doubled in June compared with June of last year, according to data obtained by The Times. At the county\u2019s Downey shelter, the count jumped by roughly 50% over the same period.<\/p>\n Some of this increase could be because of a loosening of requirements for giving up a pet, said Christopher Valles with L.A. County\u2019s animal control department. In April the department eliminated a requirement<\/a> that people must make an appointment to relinquish a pet. <\/p>\n Rocky, a 7-year-old mixed-breed dog, has been at AGWC Rockin\u2019 Rescue for three years.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no set time limit on when an animal must be adopted to avoid euthanizing, said Valles, adding that behavior or illness can make them a candidate for being put to sleep.<\/p>\n And there are resources for people in the deported person\u2019s network who are willing to take on the responsibility for their pets, like 2-year-old Mocha, a female chocolate Labrador retriever who was brought in to the county\u2019s Baldwin Park shelter in late June and is ready for adoption. <\/p>\n \u201cWe stand by anybody who\u2019s in a difficult position where they can\u2019t care for their animal because of deportation,\u201d Valles said. <\/p>\n Some rescues, however, urge people not to turn to shelters because of overcrowding and high euthanasia rates. <\/p>\n Rates for dogs getting put down at L.A. city shelters increased 57% in April<\/a> compared with the same month the previous year, according to a recent report.<\/p>\n L.A. Animal Services, which oversees city shelters, did not respond to requests for comment or data.<\/p>\n Already at the breaking point Fabienne Origer, manager of AGWC Rockin\u2019 Rescue, with Gracie, a 4-week-old kitten found on Ventura Boulevard and brought to the center a week ago.<\/p>\n Every day, Fabienne Origer is bombarded with 10 to 20 calls asking if AGWC Rockin\u2019 Rescue<\/a> in Woodland Hills, which she manages, can take in dogs and cats. She estimates that one to two of those pleas are now related to immigration issues.<\/p>\n The rescue, like many others, is full.<\/p>\n Part of the reason is that many people adopted pets during the COVID-19 crisis \u2014 when they were stuck at home \u2014 and dumped them when the world opened back up, she said.<\/p>\n Skyrocketing cost of living and veterinary care expenses have also prompted people to get rid of their pet family members, several rescues said. Vet prices have surged by 60% over a decade<\/a>. <\/p>\n L.A. Animal Services reported \u201ccritical overcrowding\u201d<\/a> in May, with more than 900 dogs in its custody. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s already bad, but now on top of that, a lot of requests are because people have disappeared, because people have been deported, and if we can take a cat or two dogs,\u201d Origer said. \u201cIt\u2019s just ongoing, every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n Wounds you can\u2019t see Assistant manager Antonia Schumann pets a couple of dogs at AGWC Rockin\u2019 Rescue.<\/p>\n Animals suffer from the emotional strain of separation and unceremonious change when their owners vanish, experts said.<\/p>\n When a mother and three young daughters from Nicaragua who were pursuing asylum in the U.S. were unexpectedly deported in May following a routine hearing, they left behind their beloved senior dog. <\/p>\n She was taken in by the mother\u2019s stepmom. Not long after, the small dog had to be ushered into surgery to treat a life-threatening mass. <\/p>\n The small dog is on the mend physically, but \u201cis clearly depressed, barely functioning and missing her family,\u201d the stepmother wrote in a statement provided to the Community Animal Medicine Project<\/a> (CAMP), which paid for the surgery. She\u2019s used to spending all day with the girls and sleeping with them at night, the stepmom said. <\/p>\n From Nicaragua, the girls have been asking to get their dog back. For now, they\u2019re using FaceTime. <\/p>\n Shirley and Bruno lounge in their space at AGWC Rockin\u2019 Rescue. They have been there for five years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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