Animal Shelter Probes Seizure, Killing of Dogs

The East Valley Animal Shelter is conducting an internal investigation into the seizure and execution of three dogs, which a Lake View Terrace woman claims an animal control officer took from her just over a week ago without advising her of her rights to keep them.

The investigation, which was prompted by a misconduct charge filed by dog owner Bobbie Allison, will examine whether Allison was advised that she could opt to go to court rather than give up her dogs, said shelter official Lt. James Phipps, an official with the Los Angeles city-run shelter. A fourth dog, also taken from Allison, was sold, Phipps said.

Although he refused to comment further on the investigation, Phipps said he has not “received any indication so far that her allegations had any truth to them whatsoever. Until I do, I’m going to assume we did things right.”

Phipps said officers are supposed to tell pet owners that they can force the city to take them to court before they have to give up their animals.

Over the years, Allison had acquired seven stray dogs that were dumped near the Foothill Freeway and in the rural Big Tujunga Wash, near where she lives.

Allison said an animal control officer warned her April 3 that she was exceeding a city limit of three dogs per household. But she said the officer told that her she could have some time to find homes for the dogs before they would be taken away.

“He just verbally said, ‘I don’t want to take your dogs, I don’t want to destroy them either,’ ” she said. Allison said the officer advised her, “ ‘List them with adoption agencies, get them licensed and I’ll be checking back in about 10 days.”’

Allison said she had started filling out the licensing paper work and found a home for one dog by April 16 when another officer arrived and told her that he had orders to pick up the animals. After arguing with him, she finally agreed to release the dogs to the officer. She said she didn’t think she had a choice.

“He said, ‘Let me take them, otherwise it’s $65 per infraction, and I’ll just take them anyway,’ ” Allison said, crying. “You can’t imagine how bad I feel. . . . I let these guys take those dogs when I didn’t have to.”

Neighbors went to retrieve Allison’s dogs at the shelter the next day, but they were told that the dogs had been killed, she said.

Phipps said that when an owner relinquishes animals to the shelter, a decision is made immediately on whether they are likely to be adopted.

“Depending on adoptability or the amount of room we have in the shelter, they could be put up for adoption or they could be destroyed,” he said.