JOIN THE FIGHT: PAWS AND REBELS OF KERN COUNTY CALIFORNIA
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To: Kern County Board of Supervisors, Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer, California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross, State Sen. Shannon Grove, Rep. Vince Fong, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Supervisor Leticia Perez, PETA and Concerned Citizens  

We, the undersigned, demand the immediate removal of Nick Cullen as Director of Kern County Animal Services (KCAS) and a criminal and regulatory investigation into a blatant pattern of animal abuse by KCAS officers, including Brandon Tipton and David Camacho Jr., under Cullen’s reckless, complicit, and financially bungled leadership. These acts violate California Penal Code 597 (animal cruelty) and Kern County Ordinance 7.08.110 (humane treatment), while Cullen’s budget flops—squandering millions—fuel a crisis of cruelty, overcrowding, and death that CDFA can’t ignore under Title 3, Division 4. His “no-kill” sham (80%+ save rate, CalAnimals) collapses as dogs are dragged, swung, and left to die—propped by the Board’s inaction, DA Zimmer’s silence, and CDFA Sec. Ross’s dodged duty.  

UPDATE - January 2, 2025. Additional evidence of corruption and deflection at KCAS: Veterinarian 'Dr.' Kimberly Ann King (License #21333) actively breeds/sells large Armenian Gampr puppies via Four Kings Ranch while overseeing shelter veterinary services. Her gampr.org breeder profile (https://gampr.org/king directs inquiries to her official county email (kingk@kerncounty.com)—misuse of public resources for personal profit (Gov. Code §8314).Formal VMB complaint filed Jan 2, 2026 (#4602026001174) against Dr. King for negligence and unprofessional conduct. Robbie Miller (Founder/President of Strength of Shadow/SOS Dog Rescue, recently assigned commissioner duties on the Kern County Animal Services Commission) is gaslighting the community and deflecting blame onto national organizations like ASPCA and SPCA, which have no direct control over local KCAS operations or abuse. This enabling and deflection must stop—demand full independent investigations! To date not one politician or names listed here have reached out, even Senator Grove has been contacted without a response.  

UPDATE – November 19, 2025.  New, protected whistleblowers with direct knowledge of daily operations inside Kern County Animal Services have just delivered devastating evidence of criminal conduct and systemic cruelty under Nick Cullen. Identities are fully shielded for their safety.  The facts are undeniable:

2024 “Strep Zoo” massacre – KCAS ordered mass euthanasia of entire kennels claiming a deadly outbreak. Lab tests later came back NEGATIVE, yet staff were forced to kill healthy dogs BEFORE samples were even submitted — simply to clear space.

Rusty Rose cover-up – Nick Cullen personally refused to investigate the dog dumped alive behind Rusty’s Pizza and left to die. Supervisor Tahairah Waters publicly claimed a necropsy was performed; insiders confirm NO necropsy ever took place.

Illegal & barbaric euthanasia practices Dogs and puppies are euthanized without licensed supervision; some are stabbed with “kill sticks” and left to bleed out 

Treatable illnesses (URIs, etc.) are used as false excuses to kill for space — direct violation of the Hayden Law 

Dogs are killed in full view of other dogs in the restricted “I” building (no kennel cards, no public/rescue access)

Veterinary atrocities under “Dr.” King Routinely denies pain medication and treatment 

Aborts full-term puppies and mothers in active labor 

Performs infected spay/neuter surgeries, staples them shut, and releases animals to suffer 

Vaccinates newborn puppies in violation of manufacturer labels

Falsified records & hidden deaths. NO legally required euthanasia binder in the lobby (statewide law violated) 

Nick Cullen manipulates kill numbers — rendering plant invoices prove thousands more deaths than publicly reported 

Dogs found dead in kennels weekly (cameras exist but footage is suppressed)

Adoption fraud & starvation Dogs are released to the public UNSPAYED/UNNEUTERED with a meaningless “come back later” promise and zero enforcement 

Every dog is fed only once per day; many leave skeletal and emaciated

Ongoing crisis $16 million new shelter still not built, design funds sitting idle. Shelter remains at double capacity while thousands continue to die.

Documented threats against important rescues that need to be exposed. EVIDENCE IS FILED AND READY. 

We demand the IMMEDIATE termination of:
• Director Nick Cullen 
• Veterinarian “Dr.” King 

We further demand:
• Criminal investigation by the California Attorney General and USDA
• Immediate seizure of all surveillance footage, euthanasia logs, and rendering invoices
• Suspension of all euthanasia authority until independent oversight is in place
• Transfer of the $16 million unbuilt shelter budget to proven no-kill rescue partners.  This is no longer just a petition. It is public evidence of what may be one of California’s worst ongoing animal-cruelty scandals.

Every signature forces accountability. Share everywhere. #FireNickCullen #JusticeForKernDogs #ShutDownKCAS
 
  Documented Incidents of Abuse:  
1. July 26, 2016: Kim Bennett’s Bakersfield kennels—25-40 dogs in squalor, fighting, dying—caught on video offered to KCAS (Change.org petition). Cullen ignored it, claiming “no violations,” letting suffering fester while pocketing funds for “care.”  
2. May 10, 2018: Tehachapi hoarding—160 dogs seized from filth (Bakersfield Now). Cullen chased owner charges but missed years of complaints—his budget didn’t prevent, just posed.  
3. October 11, 2024: Officer Brandon Tipton dragged a Great Pyrenees near Fairfax and Muller roads, Bakersfield. Video evidence here—https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBAgOIlBT_F/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==—shows the dog pulled harshly toward a truck, sparking outrage. Paul Mueller’s X post named Tipton outright; KCAS cried “overwork,” did nothing—400+ comments got silence from Cullen.  
4. February 23, 2025: Officer David Camacho Jr. grabbed a small black and white dog by the scruff, swung it, and shoved it into a kennel from a truck bed—video evidence here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DG9UBv5MGO0/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== (Paul Mueller, Instagram). Laughter from a second person mocked the cruelty. Cullen stayed mute—his norm.  
5. Ongoing (2021-2023): Chained dogs—like Boron’s 24/7 case (Kern Valley Sun, 2021)—and shelter pups dying from low vaccinations (Turnto23, 2023) stack up. Cullen shrugs—“no law forces adoptions” (Bakersfield Now, April 23, 2024)—while officers abuse and funds vanish.  

Legal Violations and Budget Mismanagement Under Cullen:  
- California Penal Code 597: Dragging, swinging, neglecting—unnecessary suffering runs wild. Cullen lets Tipton, Camacho Jr., and others off, breaking state law by neglect—CDFA Sec. Ross’s animal health mandate (Title 3) should catch this.  
- Kern County Ordinance 7.08.110: Humane treatment’s a myth—Bennett’s hellhole, Tipton’s drag, Camacho Jr.’s swing—all ignored while Cullen misuses $8.18M (2023 budget) on optics, not care.  
- Evidence Cover-Up: Videos vanish elsewhere, but Mueller’s posts stand—Cullen’s team still buries proof, obstructing justice with Board funds and CDFA’s blind eye.  
- Budget Mismanagement: The Board gave Cullen $16M for a new shelter (Yahoo, 2023)—unbuilt by 2025, while 2,264 dogs died in 2024 (KGET, January 3, 2025). $1.2M for design (Turnto23, September 1, 2023) sits idle as intakes spike 40% since 2022 (Bakersfield Now, 2023). Five new hires (2023) didn’t stop Tipton, Camacho Jr., or ongoing abuse—where’s the cash if not training or oversight? CDFA’s welfare oversight should flag this collapse.  

Why Sack Nick Cullen Now?  
Since 2015, Cullen’s cashed Board checks—$8.18M in 2023—parading an 80% save rate while hundreds die monthly from overcrowding he can’t fix (KGET, November 3, 2023). He brags 11,000 saves (Turnto23, January 18, 2024), but his budget flops and abuse festers:  
- Shields Abusers: Tipton and Camacho Jr. walk free, others unnamed—overwork’s his shield, while millions don’t train staff.  
- Buries Truth: Mueller’s posts survived, but other videos vanish—Board funds bankroll his cover-ups, not solutions.  
- Board Cronyism: Appointed by you, funded with $16M, Cullen’s your pet—your silence on 2016, 2024, 2025, and budget waste proves it, Supervisor Perez included.  
- Wastes Money: $1.2M for a blueprint gathers dust; $500K for spay/neuter (2023) can’t dent 14,000 intakes (2024). Overcrowding kills, abuse thrives—Cullen’s financial mess fuels it, and CDFA Sec. Ross’s dodging Title 3 duty lets it rot.  
- Cullen ILLEGALLY adopts out unfixed dogs to the public DAILY adding to the population problem but still blames the public
- Many more atrocities not mentioned here. 

Our Demands:  
1. Fire Nick Cullen as KCAS Director for dereliction, complicity, and squandering funds while breaking laws—Board, make it happen; Supervisor Perez, vote him out.  
2. Order Kern DA Cynthia Zimmer to investigate Brandon Tipton, David Camacho Jr., and others for Penal Code 597 violations—October 11, 2024, February 23, 2025, and beyond.  
3. Compel CDFA Sec. Karen Ross to enforce Title 3, Division 4—KCAS’s collapse threatens statewide animal welfare with 2,264 deaths and unchecked abuse.  
4. Urge Sen. Shannon Grove and Rep. Vince Fong to champion this in Sacramento and D.C., forcing CDFA and the Board to act—Kern needs you.  
5. Press Rep. Kevin McCarthy to demand Kern Board accountability—fire Cullen for Kern’s sake; your legacy’s tied to this.  
6. Overhaul KCAS with an independent audit—not Board or CDFA insiders—to track every dollar and enforce humane treatment, backed by PETA’s call for justice.  

Kern County’s animals suffer under Cullen’s mismanaged reign—and the Board’s blind eye, DA Zimmer’s inaction, CDFA Sec. Ross’s cowardice.  Grove, Fong, McCarthy, and Perez step up and make necessary changes to STOP the abuse and killing IMMEDIATELY!

SIGN BELOW —force them all to clean this up, or the stench stains Kern forever.