Demand reforms at SEAACA to prevent injustices like Lucy's
The Issue
Unfortunately, no one can confirm which rescue tagged Lucy.
JUSTICE FOR LUCY
A Call for Accountability and Reform at SEAACA!
To the SEAACA Board of Commissioners, City of Downey leadership, and all responsible public officials:
We are asking for immediate accountability, transparency, and meaningful reform following the heartbreaking death of Lucy, Animal ID 27-01660, a pregnant Doberman who was euthanized
while in the custody of SEAACA.
Lucy’s case has raised serious concerns about the way medical emergencies are handled, the timeliness of veterinary intervention, communication with rescue organizations, and the decision-making process that can ultimately determine whether an animal lives or dies.
According to statements attributed to SEAACA Interim Executive Director Bob Kurkjian, staff were preparing to transfer Lucy to an emergency veterinary hospital when she experienced catastrophic blood loss. That statement raises an important question: Why was Lucy not transferred sooner?
Lucy had already delivered puppies and was reportedly experiencing a difficult and stalled labor.
Advocates and volunteers have stated that she spent hours without progressing normally before her condition became critical. By the time an emergency transfer was reportedly being arranged,her condition had deteriorated dramatically.
Lucy deserved emergency medical intervention before her condition reached the point of catastrophic blood loss. She deserved every reasonable opportunity to survive. She deserved better.
Even more troubling is that a rescue organization had reportedly committed to taking Lucy, (as well as, several others who submitted tags and didn't hear back, until AFTER she was already killed). The rescue transport was unable to arrive before the shelter’s closing time and planned to pick her up the
following morning. This raises another urgent issue: Why is there not an effective after-hours procedure that allows an approved rescue to retrieve an animal facing a medical emergency?
A shelter’s closing time should never become a barrier between a critically ill animal and lifesaving care.
Lucy’s case also highlights broader concerns regarding communication between SEAACA and the rescue community. Rescue organizations exist to help shelters save animals and free kennel space. Qualified rescues that are willing and able to accept animals should be treated as partners...not ignored, delayed, or prevented from helping.
SEAACA leadership has stated that animals are not euthanized simply for space or time, but rather for health and behavioral reasons. If that is the case, there must be full transparency regarding how medical and behavioral decisions are made, how quickly rescues are notified, and whether every reasonable lifesaving alternative has been exhausted before euthanasia is chosen.
One of Lucy’s surviving puppies has required intensive medical care. That puppy is a painful reminder of what was at stake and why timely veterinary intervention is so important.
Lucy cannot be brought back, but her death can lead to change.
WE RESPECTFULLY DEMAND THE FOLLOWING REFORMS:
1. Establish “Lucy’s Law” or an equivalent emergency medical policy. Any pregnant animal experiencing difficult labor, or any animal showing signs of critical medical distress, should receive immediate veterinary evaluation and emergency transfer when medically indicated. Rescue partners should be notified without unnecessary delay.
2. Create an after-hours emergency rescue release procedure.
When an approved rescue has committed to taking an animal, there should be a process allowing emergency pickup outside normal public business hours when an animal’s health or life
is at risk.
3. Require independent review of Lucy’s case. We request a complete investigation into Lucy’s medical care, timeline of events, veterinary decisions, attempted rescue transfer, euthanasia decision, and all communications associated
with Animal ID 27-01660.
4. Require greater transparency regarding euthanasia decisions.
SEAACA should maintain clear documentation showing the medical or behavioral basis for euthanasia and what treatment, transfer, foster, adoption, and rescue alternatives were
attempted beforehand.
5. Strengthen relationships with qualified rescue organizations.
Applications from legitimate 501(c)(3) rescue organizations should be processed promptly, and rescue inquiries concerning animals at risk should receive timely responses.
6. Implement an emergency notification system.
When an animal is critically ill, pregnant and experiencing complications, or otherwise at immediate risk, approved rescue partners should be notified quickly so they have an opportunity
to intervene.
7. Conduct an independent review of SEAACA policies and leadership practices. The public deserves to know whether current policies adequately protect animals and whether
those policies were followed in Lucy’s case.
This petition is not simply about one dog. It is about whether animals entrusted to a (mostly) taxpayer-funded shelter receive timely medical care, whether lifesaving rescue opportunities are fully utilized, and whether decisions involving life and death are made with transparency, urgency, and compassion.
We are asking the SEAACA Board of Commissioners, the City of Downey, and all participating municipalities to take Lucy’s death seriously and use it as a catalyst for meaningful reform.
No animal suffering through a medical emergency should lose precious hours waiting for help.
No approved rescue willing to save an animal should be unnecessarily prevented from doing so.
No euthanasia decision should occur without accountability and documentation showing that reasonable lifesaving alternatives were considered.
Lucy’s life mattered. Her puppies mattered. And the animals who will enter SEAACA tomorrow matter.
We respectfully request a full investigation, public accountability, and immediate policy changes so that what happened to Lucy is never repeated.
JUSTICE FOR LUCY!
#JusticeForLucy #HoldSEAACAAccountable #ShelterReform #LucysLaw
Sign this petition to demand reforms at SEAACA. Together, we can build a more humane system that protects and cherishes all animals' lives. Your signature represents a step toward justice and a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves
804
The Issue
Unfortunately, no one can confirm which rescue tagged Lucy.
JUSTICE FOR LUCY
A Call for Accountability and Reform at SEAACA!
To the SEAACA Board of Commissioners, City of Downey leadership, and all responsible public officials:
We are asking for immediate accountability, transparency, and meaningful reform following the heartbreaking death of Lucy, Animal ID 27-01660, a pregnant Doberman who was euthanized
while in the custody of SEAACA.
Lucy’s case has raised serious concerns about the way medical emergencies are handled, the timeliness of veterinary intervention, communication with rescue organizations, and the decision-making process that can ultimately determine whether an animal lives or dies.
According to statements attributed to SEAACA Interim Executive Director Bob Kurkjian, staff were preparing to transfer Lucy to an emergency veterinary hospital when she experienced catastrophic blood loss. That statement raises an important question: Why was Lucy not transferred sooner?
Lucy had already delivered puppies and was reportedly experiencing a difficult and stalled labor.
Advocates and volunteers have stated that she spent hours without progressing normally before her condition became critical. By the time an emergency transfer was reportedly being arranged,her condition had deteriorated dramatically.
Lucy deserved emergency medical intervention before her condition reached the point of catastrophic blood loss. She deserved every reasonable opportunity to survive. She deserved better.
Even more troubling is that a rescue organization had reportedly committed to taking Lucy, (as well as, several others who submitted tags and didn't hear back, until AFTER she was already killed). The rescue transport was unable to arrive before the shelter’s closing time and planned to pick her up the
following morning. This raises another urgent issue: Why is there not an effective after-hours procedure that allows an approved rescue to retrieve an animal facing a medical emergency?
A shelter’s closing time should never become a barrier between a critically ill animal and lifesaving care.
Lucy’s case also highlights broader concerns regarding communication between SEAACA and the rescue community. Rescue organizations exist to help shelters save animals and free kennel space. Qualified rescues that are willing and able to accept animals should be treated as partners...not ignored, delayed, or prevented from helping.
SEAACA leadership has stated that animals are not euthanized simply for space or time, but rather for health and behavioral reasons. If that is the case, there must be full transparency regarding how medical and behavioral decisions are made, how quickly rescues are notified, and whether every reasonable lifesaving alternative has been exhausted before euthanasia is chosen.
One of Lucy’s surviving puppies has required intensive medical care. That puppy is a painful reminder of what was at stake and why timely veterinary intervention is so important.
Lucy cannot be brought back, but her death can lead to change.
WE RESPECTFULLY DEMAND THE FOLLOWING REFORMS:
1. Establish “Lucy’s Law” or an equivalent emergency medical policy. Any pregnant animal experiencing difficult labor, or any animal showing signs of critical medical distress, should receive immediate veterinary evaluation and emergency transfer when medically indicated. Rescue partners should be notified without unnecessary delay.
2. Create an after-hours emergency rescue release procedure.
When an approved rescue has committed to taking an animal, there should be a process allowing emergency pickup outside normal public business hours when an animal’s health or life
is at risk.
3. Require independent review of Lucy’s case. We request a complete investigation into Lucy’s medical care, timeline of events, veterinary decisions, attempted rescue transfer, euthanasia decision, and all communications associated
with Animal ID 27-01660.
4. Require greater transparency regarding euthanasia decisions.
SEAACA should maintain clear documentation showing the medical or behavioral basis for euthanasia and what treatment, transfer, foster, adoption, and rescue alternatives were
attempted beforehand.
5. Strengthen relationships with qualified rescue organizations.
Applications from legitimate 501(c)(3) rescue organizations should be processed promptly, and rescue inquiries concerning animals at risk should receive timely responses.
6. Implement an emergency notification system.
When an animal is critically ill, pregnant and experiencing complications, or otherwise at immediate risk, approved rescue partners should be notified quickly so they have an opportunity
to intervene.
7. Conduct an independent review of SEAACA policies and leadership practices. The public deserves to know whether current policies adequately protect animals and whether
those policies were followed in Lucy’s case.
This petition is not simply about one dog. It is about whether animals entrusted to a (mostly) taxpayer-funded shelter receive timely medical care, whether lifesaving rescue opportunities are fully utilized, and whether decisions involving life and death are made with transparency, urgency, and compassion.
We are asking the SEAACA Board of Commissioners, the City of Downey, and all participating municipalities to take Lucy’s death seriously and use it as a catalyst for meaningful reform.
No animal suffering through a medical emergency should lose precious hours waiting for help.
No approved rescue willing to save an animal should be unnecessarily prevented from doing so.
No euthanasia decision should occur without accountability and documentation showing that reasonable lifesaving alternatives were considered.
Lucy’s life mattered. Her puppies mattered. And the animals who will enter SEAACA tomorrow matter.
We respectfully request a full investigation, public accountability, and immediate policy changes so that what happened to Lucy is never repeated.
JUSTICE FOR LUCY!
#JusticeForLucy #HoldSEAACAAccountable #ShelterReform #LucysLaw
Sign this petition to demand reforms at SEAACA. Together, we can build a more humane system that protects and cherishes all animals' lives. Your signature represents a step toward justice and a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves
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Petition created on August 18, 2026