Hi Big Bear:
You are doing amazing work as citizens of Big Bear and surrounding communities. You are networking the animals at our facility and adopting locally. You are keeping your dogs spay or neutered and refusing to purchase breeder dogs and cats from illegal breeders. High five on that.
Sadly, I wish I could say the same about our local animal care and control facility in Big Bear. Recently, Sluggo and Farleigh were locked up at our Big Bear Animal Care and Control facility on Northshore after their human died. They grew up in the same house but when they entered the animal pound facility our facility staff placed the bonded pair of dogs in side-by-side kennels instead of placing them in the same kennel. Many NO KILL ANIMAL SHELTERS commonly place BONDED PAIRS in the same kennel so adopters do not accidentally adopt the animals separately. In this case however, each dog could smell and hear their friend through the concrete wall but not see that they were safe. Their only crime...their human died. But our animal care and control facility decided to separate this bonded pair AND label them Rescue Only. Because of their choice to separate the BONDED PAIR, each dog acted stressed by barking nonstop at potential adopters.
Sluggo and Farleigh 72 Hours After Getting Out of Big Bear Animal Care and Control: https://vimeo.com/340581498
Sluggo and Farleigh while separated and stressed out at the Big Bear Animal Care and Control Facility: https://vimeo.com/340578469
This mislabeling of dogs and cats MUST END.
As of now, our animal pound facility has another RESCUE ONLY. There was no testing of these animals. They just make arbitrary decisions based off observations or usually second hand information.
See CAMELOT - ID#A716567:
Facebook Camelot's Facebook Link for UPDATES:
https://www.facebook.com/305728646199424/photos/pb.305728646199424.-2207520000.1559183264./1913257005446572/?type=3&theater
See CAMELOT's ACTIVE LINK:
http://petharbor.com/pet.asp?uaid=SBCO.A716567
Instead of the County simply making adopters sign WAIVERS OF LIABILITY, they place these dogs on death row, rescue only or kill them.
California, like most states, offers protection in the form of governmental immunity, which insulates government workers from personal liability in California Government Code § 8655 and government entities from liability in California Government Code § 815. Further, California Gov Code § 846 makes clear that neither a public entity nor a public employee is liable for injury.
While government immunity makes it more difficult to file a civil lawsuit against government entities, it is not impossible to do so. The government may waive sovereign immunity and cannot use the doctrine to simply absolve government agencies of all potential claims when a legitimate governmental obligation to protect its citizens was breached. So, let us run our animal control facilities with integrity and do make our best effort to be as transparent as possible. Let us give citizens the opportunity to WAIVE THEIR RIGHTS TO SUE just to be DOUBLE CERTAIN nothing happens to our city and county after the dogs or cats get out. But let's make it easier for dogs and cats to get out of animal prison by giving adopters a chance to simply sign away their rights to sue.
In the end, I want our city and county to stop being dishonest claiming the reason they need to make these dogs and cats RESCUE ONLY is because they are afraid of being sued. They are immune in almost every case as long as they are being honest and doing their jobs. To add even more protection, just have adopters SIGN INDEMNITY WAIVERS. If animal control is clearly NEGLECTING their responsibility, they will be sued no matter what. But to FORCE NON-PROFIT AGENCIES (which Big Bear does not even have one dog rescue) to pull out animals just so the city and county can claim they are limiting risk of being sued is a lie. Forcing animal rescue groups to take on liability when the government is already immune seems like bad business.
We DEMAND our local government and county officials stop allowing the practice of MISLABELING DOGS AND CATS while forcing Animal Rescue Groups to assume liability that wasn't there in the first place. This intentional practice is causing the animals and our citizens to suffer from stress, depression, fear, suffering and ultimately death for many of the imprisoned animals.
If you or someone you know is a local or county animal advocate and is considering running for a city or county elected position, there is a group of us wanting to help fund your campaign in the next election. Please contact me at 213-948-3165.