On January 5, 2019 a poodle-Bichon mix entered the Los Angeles Animal Services (LAAS) South Los Angeles animal shelter as a stray.  SNOWBALL WAS VERY PREGNANT!  Despite having an immediate offer from a reputable rescue to take her into their care under the Good Samaritan Law (a law that allows shelters to release animals that are on stray hold to rescue partners in order for them to receive medical care beyond what the shelter is able to provide while still remaining the legal property of LAAS), the shelter refused to allow Snowball to leave the shelter.  Rescues and concerned individuals who called the shelter were told that Snowball was scheduled to be spayed (effectively aborting/euthanizing her puppies) on January 10th (when her stray hold was up) and then made available for public adoption if her puppies were not born before then.  Snowball’s plight came to the attention of the rescue community, concerned citizens and the news media and a social media campaign ensured that reached the Los Angeles Bureau of Animal Commission, the Mayor’s office and Sacramento and ultimately resulted in the issuance of a statement by LAAS that Snowball would not be spayed “unless a medical emergency arises.” Snowball remains in the care of an LAAS “partner” where, according to LAAS General Manager, Brenda Barnette, “Hopefully Snowball will give birth to healthy pups and will be able to care for them. Snowball and her pups will receive all of the medical care and nurture she needs.”

Saving Snowball’s unborn puppies was a HUGE victory but only the first step. We now need to change the policy of spaying pregnant animals prior to releasing them from the shelter.  The Commission reviewed the policy several years ago, however, the Board did not approve the request because several members of the public stated that we should not add to the over population of animals while others talked about the resources and where they should be used on our quest to become a no kill city.  The Board has agreed to re-visit the policy and will do so at their meeting on January 22, 2019.

The physical and emotional toll that spaying a pregnant female takes on the mother needs to be addressed. The practice of euthanizing  viable puppies is inhumane.  Our time is short to convince the policy makers that the practice of spaying pregnant dogs near the end of their pregnancy needs to stop NOW.  A policy also needs to be implemented that allows New Hope (rescue) partners in good standing to take custody of animals in any stage of pregnancy.

We implore Los Angeles Animal Services and The Los Angeles Board of Animal Commissioners to review its current policies and the following policy changes:

·         Acknowledge pregnancy as a medical condition

·         Medically Alert and release pregnant animals to New Hope Partners who have a track record and who are in excellent standing with LAAS with a Spay/Neuter Waiver

·         Cease spaying full term/late term animals unless extenuating medical circumstances as determined by a veterinarian licensed to practice in the State of California exist

·         Provide proper medical care to pregnant animals as well as to new families

·         Allocate additional resources toward the education of Los Angeles area youth related to responsible pet ownership and specifically spaying/neutering