Friends of the Orange Cove Animal Shelter have been locked out of the shelter. On 12/12/18 the Orange Cove City Council suspended our contract to provide care and placement for the animals due to an oversight with the Franchise Tax Board that we were in the process of rectifying. We were told they would not do business with us until we fixed it. They immediately locked us out of the shelter denying us access to provide care for over 50 animals and breaching contractual agreement by giving us no notice. 12/13 - We are denied access to shelter. We are not even allowed to volunteer. Prior to becoming a nonprofit we ran the shelter as volunteers. We have our own liability insurance policy & waiver. 12/13 & 12/14 - Attorney attempts to contact city to discuss matters. They refuse to take calls.12/13- City approaches our employee and offers him position to be kennel attendant. He accepts. They release him the next day. 12/15 - We observe activity at the shelter. City employee there for 2 hours. Were kennels for over 50 animals cleaned & sanitized? 12/16 - We observe & photgraph city employee feeding dogs by using a PVCP pipe and a funnel so they can feed from outside the kennel. Bowls are not being removed & cleaned. No dogs have left their kennels. 12/17 - OC resident reclaims her dog. She reports the shelter smells very bad “like death” and the kennels and the dogs are wet. She has to seek vet care for her dog whose feet are raw (likely from standing on wet cement for long periods of time). 12/18 - We approach city again asking to allow us to volunteer and provide a copy of our liability policy. We are denied. 12/19 - Our FTB status is reinstated. We provide email evidence to city. We expect to be given access back to shelter. We are denied. FOCAS became a nonprofit in 2015. Since then we have provided care and rescue for hundreds of dogs at the Orange Cove Animal Shelter. We are proud of our 98% live release rate. We have accomplished all this with very little money, one part time employee and a small group of volunteers. We have all invested countless hours and spent thousands of dollars from our own pockets to provide for the animals at the shelter. We do it because we love animals and there is a great need in this rural community. The Mayor of Orange Cove Victor Lopez is using us as a political tool and the dogs at the shelter are paying the price. Please use your voice for the 50+ dogs that don’t have one. Dogs that are caged in their kennels while it’s being hosed out. Dogs that are being left to live in their feces on wet cement and standing water. Dogs that are confused because the people that cared for them and love them are suddenly gone. Help us stand up and be heard. Sign and share our petition. We will not be bullied by the small town politics and inept city officials running the City of Orange Cove. What they are doing is illegal and unacceptable. They cannot make up their own rules and not be held accountable. We will not stand down. We will not stop fighting. We will not go away. Our dogs are waiting for us.                 #savetheocdogs