There was no court order to kill Bruce
ESTEBAN RODRIGUEZ SAID THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD
For days, Ventura County told the public that VCAS “must now comply” with the Superior Court order because the federal stay had been lifted.
That was the story.
That was the excuse.
That was the word they used to make Bruce’s death sound inevitable:
must.
But after Bruce was killed, the New York Times reported this:
“In a statement, Ventura County Animal Services director Esteban Rodriguez said there had been no court order preventing the action.”
Exactly.
That is the point.
“The action” was killing Bruce.
Ventura County told the public VCAS “must now comply.” But Esteban Rodriguez’s own statement, as reported by the New York Times, was not that a court ordered VCAS to kill Bruce when it did.
It was that no court order prevented them from killing him.
Ventura County did not kill Bruce because the legal process was over.
It was not over.
VCAS knew a notice of appeal had been filed.
Bruce’s Ninth Circuit appeal was pending.
The Ninth Circuit had already opened the case and set a briefing schedule.
Emergency relief had also been pursued at the United States Supreme Court.
Ventura County knew appellate review was still underway.
County Counsel knew appellate review was still underway.
But because no court order was in place stopping them that morning, they killed Bruce anyway.
No court ordered Ventura County to kill Bruce when it did.
No court ordered VCAS to kill Bruce after his lawyers filed at the United States Supreme Court.
No court prohibited Ventura County from waiting.
No court prohibited a standstill.
No court prohibited County Counsel from returning to Superior Court to seek modification or approval of a rescue or sanctuary resolution.
No court prohibited Ventura County from considering the Cesar Millan offer.
No court prohibited Ventura County from reviewing SPARC’s offer to pay and obtain major liability coverage.
No court prohibited Ventura County from choosing mercy.
The only thing Esteban Rodriguez’s statement shows is that no court stopped them.
That is not the same as having no choice.
That is the difference between legal compulsion and bureaucratic cruelty.
Ventura County did not kill Bruce because it was forced to do so at that moment.
Ventura County killed Bruce because Esteban Rodriguez and VCAS chose not to wait.
They chose not to let the Ninth Circuit appeal be heard.
They chose not to let the Supreme Court application be considered.
They chose not to pause for the new lifesaving offer.
They chose not to let SPARC pay.
They chose not to let Cesar Millan take him.
They chose not to use the rescue path.
They chose death, then called it compliance.
And the timing is even more disturbing than the public first understood.
The New York Times reported that Bruce was killed at 4:14 p.m. Eastern time — 1:14 p.m. Pacific time in Ventura County.
But Bruce’s family says they walked into the shelter right when it opened at 1:00 p.m.
They were given a bowl of kibble at the front desk to hand-feed Bruce.
They were on their way to his kennel with that bowl in their hands when Deputy Director Donna Gillespie intercepted them.
The family believes this was around 1:05 p.m.
Gillespie told them:
“Bruce has been euthanized.”
They asked to see him.
They asked to say goodbye.
They asked to touch him one last time.
VCAS said no.
If Bruce had already been killed, then VCAS let his family walk in, accept a bowl of kibble, and begin walking toward his kennel as if they were still going to see him.
If Bruce had not yet been killed, then Gillespie told them he was already gone while he was still being killed or about to be killed.
Either way, the cruelty is staggering.
Bruce’s family had been sitting outside the shelter that morning, with a sight line to his kennel, hoping to see him one last time.
They were ready to roll down the window and call out, “We love you, Bruce,” so he would know they were there when he left the kennel for the first time in months.
Not for a walk.
Not for sunlight.
Not to see the people who loved him.
To be killed.
No final touch.
No goodbye.
No dignity for Bruce.
No dignity for the family who loved him.
VCAS would not let any member of Bruce’s family be with him when he died.
Then VCAS would not let them see him after he was gone.
Back in Gillespie’s office, the family says she asked what they wanted done with Bruce’s remains.
No condolences.
No apology.
Just: “Thank you for your cooperation.”
That is what Ventura County’s “process” looked like in the end.
And now national media is watching.
The New York Times reported that Bruce was killed about 45 minutes after his lawyers filed at the Supreme Court.
The Roggin Report on NBC Palm Springs called out Esteban Rodriguez directly.
The community is watching too.
And the question for Ventura County is no longer whether Bruce can be saved.
Ventura County killed him.
The question now is accountability.
The facts speak for themselves.
VCAS knew a notice of appeal had been filed.
County Counsel knew the Ninth Circuit appeal was pending and that the Ninth Circuit had already set a briefing schedule.
Counsel for the County was notified in writing and by telephone that emergency relief would be sought from the United States Supreme Court.
Counsel for the County was then served with the Supreme Court filing.
The New York Times reported that Bruce was killed about 45 minutes after his lawyers filed at the Supreme Court.
Ventura County was asked to stand still.
Ventura County was offered another lifesaving option.
Ventura County knew the case was not over.
And Ventura County killed Bruce anyway.
Esteban Rodriguez has a lot to answer for.
Ventura County has a lot to answer for.
And Bruce’s name is not going away.