"Double Kill Alert"
By Big Bear Animal Care and Control
(Dog who appears in photo is planning to be executed by Big Bear Animal Control/Devore)
Kill Scheduled: Tuesday, November 12 AM
Sign this petition at www.NoKillBigBear.com
ACTION
Please call and demand they release these dogs to an animal rescue instead of killing the dogs with a stipulation that the dogs can not be returned to owner instead of death.
Call Supervisor KELLY PAPP & CHRISTOPHER COVINGTON AT
909-386-9820 EXT 0. KPAPP@dph.sbcounty.gov; Christopher.covington@dph.sbcounty.gov
To Rescue/Adopt CALL AND EMAIL NOW!!!!!
RESCUE COORDINATORS AT 909-386-9820 EXT 0
WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW...
We are being told Big Bear Animal Care and Control (under the management of Devore Animal Care and Control) plans to kill two of our cities dogs on Tuesday morning after animal control took the dogs off a resident's red-tagged property. These dogs do NOT have a bite history of any kind. Animal Control is REFUSING to allow animal rescue groups the opportunity to save these animals which goes against California's Hadyen Law. We have rescues wanting to save the dogs but Animal Control is refusing to even talk to groups interested. In addition, neither Devore Animal Control or Big Bear Animal Control has provided proof that either dog has received a professional assessment or evaluation regarding their claims of each animal's behavior. I have talked to the Big Bear Lake resident who wants his dogs back but we are being told they are attempting to charge the resident $1000 (unconfirmed report) to get his dogs back after THEY took the dogs away from his house. That's correct. They were NOT stray. Animal Control entered their house and took the dogs.
SUMMARY
A resident of the City of Big Bear Lake had his house red-tagged. His dogs were inside the home when the house was "red-tagged" so Big Bear Animal Control took his dogs. The owner was not home at the time the house was red-tagged. The owner has disclosed that an unknown neighbor continues to call Big Bear Animal Care and Control on him as well as reporting him to the City of Big Bear Lake for his fence not being high enough and/or dogs barking. The resident feels there must at least be one or more neighbors harassing him by making these reports. The dogs have not bit anyone or caused harm to other animals. Animal Control reported to me that one dog named Bear charges people while no bite history exists. I've personally witnessed Bear interacting (see photo attached) with the owner and I must say it's real love and friendship. Foxy, the other dog, was taken out of this residents home without his knowledge and placed in Devore Animal Control instead of Big Bear Animal Care and Control. The dogs do have a history of escaping the owner's yard.
When I asked a representative of our animal control why the dogs were taken down to Devore Animal Control, the officer stated that Animal Control officers can choose which of the two shelters they want the dogs to go to. This representative continued that she didn't want the dog going back to the owners so she decided to place that dog at Devore. I asserted that it didn't seem fair to do this being that we have a local animal control facility here in Big Bear and that all animals removed from people's homes should be placed in Big Bear Animal Care and Control. This officer explained that she wanted the dogs to go to Devore because she didn't want them going back to the current owner. As a concerned citizen of Big Bear Lake, you can decide for yourself if you think this is just.
Big Bear Animal Care and Control is claiming these dogs are "dangerous." Just so we are all clear, Animal Control does NOT do professional evaluations of our animals. When they make these "labels" for our homeless dogs, they often are not trained animal behavioral specialists. When I spoke to the animal control officer, we both talked about how we know these two dogs. We agreed to disagree about the dogs. Bear might charge people when lose but in my opinion that's because he is excited to be running free. When I was first introduced to Bear, he was at the Big Bear Animal Care and Control facility. He was labeled RESCUE ONLY in Big Bear because when Kyle was feeding him, he jumped up on Kyle in his excitement. This caused Bear to be labeled RESCUE ONLY. The animal control officer did agree that Foxy (an akita/shepherd mix) was a shy dog and needs simply a good home. Despite these dogs history of non-violence, they intend to kill both dogs they took away from a Big Bear Lake resident's home when he was visiting friends down the hill. Now, they are attempting to charge him $1000 (unconfirmed amount) to get his dogs back.
As a local home owner and tax-payer, I am concerned. I am concerned that neighbors who don't like dogs can cause any one resident this much trouble. I also want to make clear I do my best to get this story straight but I'm sure I'm not being told the entire truth by either party. That being said, our community concern should be established in around fair treatment to the dogs and cats in the care of our local Animal Control paid for with our tax dollars, fees and fines.
If you want these dogs to live, please call the phone numbers below. I will update everyone by using this petition's UPDATING FEATURE regarding whether or not Animal Control killed these two dogs.
FOR EXTENSIONS EMAIL AND CALL
Supervisor KELLY PAPP & CHRISTOPHER COVINGTON AT
909-386-9820 EXT 0. KPAPP@dph.sbcounty.gov; Christopher.covington@dph.sbcounty.gov
To Rescue/Adopt CALL AND EMAIL NOW!!!!!
RESCUE COORDINATORS AT 909-386-9820 EXT 0
athena.nava@dph.sbcounty.gov
and fernando.torres@dph.sbcounty.gov