California animal shelters have exhausted their appeals to the Appellate and Supreme Courts - and lost.  The lawsuit which just established precedent state law will now save countless impounded animals' lives in California.  Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center (SPARC), the city of Santa Paula's NO KILL shelter and one other rescue group sued Los Angeles County Animal Services in 2021 for violating the California laws under the 1999 Hayden Act, by refusing to release impounded dogs to the requesting rescues.  The County killed dogs that SPARC tried in vain to save.  The California Supreme Court just denied the petition by Los Angeles County to grant it the power to kill dogs rescue groups are willing to save and upheld the unanimous Court of Appeal ruling that California shelters cannot kill dogs rescue groups request to save by claiming that "the animal has a behavioral problem or is not adoptable or treatable,” and the law is now binding throughout the state.

The County has, at great expense to taxpayers, who are paying for the County's legion of seven (7) lawyers, including three (3) county attorneys and four (4) additional attorneys in two (2) outside, contracted, law firms, finally failed at the highest courts in California using their fear mongering 'public safety' arguments for dogs who are fearful and haven't even harmed anyone.   For dogs that have been 'provoked' like Gunner, one of the dogs SPARC tried to save but the County's deputy director Danny Ubario directed to be killed, Gunner was a sweet dog whose testicles were grabbed by an ignorant County employee, while he was in the play yard.  She was 'checking' to see if he had testicles. He allegedly nipped the employee, causing a break in the skin, constituting a 'bite' but under the County's law which mirrors the state laws, provocation excuses the bite as it's caused by the person provoking the dog.  Why were Gunner's testicles grabbed when one need only bend over to see them hanging between his legs?   We'll never know.  And, now he's dead when he could have been living with a family that the NO KILL shelter SPARC is so notorious for finding for so many dogs.

Ironically, until the passage of the 2020 'Dog Bite Disclosure Law,' requiring rescues and shelters not only provide the details of bite circumstances to an adopter, but a signed statement that the disclosure of the bite details have been provided to the adopter, the shelters refused to provide any bite details to rescues allowed to take a dog that had bitten, and the shelter required the rescue group make a public records request to obtain the bite report or any details of the bite, and take the dog in the meantime, with no information as to what triggered a bite by that dog, putting the public's safety in jeopardy.  Rescue groups have more resources and their primary interest is setting the dog up for successful, appropriate, placement in a new homeand keeping other pets and people from being injured.   Rescue groups take the time needed to assess and rehabilitate or train dogs to make sure they are safe and ready for their second chances at life in a new home.  Sadly, far too many dogs bite when provoked and they pay with their lives instead of shelters following the laws and excusing a provoked bite.  Most dogs that are impounded react, normally, in fear, and given time and compassion, they decompress, begin to trust, and adapt to a new life with new families.   That's the law and now the County must follow it and so must every animal shelter in California no matter how much they don't want to do so.

Thank you, Lori Wagner, animal advocate extraordinaire, for making this lawsuit happen. Thank you for securing the willing rescue plaintiffs, lawyers, working with them in filing the initial pleadings, fighting to make sure the owner surrendered pets were included in the lawsuit, and successfully carrying out your promise to the County that they would be sued for continuing to violate the laws in killing precious animals entrusted to their care, including many that had not harmed anyone.  We wouldn't be enjoying this victory without all your dedicated hard work in getting it all started.

If you would like to let the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors know that the taxpayers have had enough of their money wasted by this County to continue senselessly killing impounded pets, write or call them and tell them to begin saving lives as is the law.