Pet Lovers Are Reshaping Shelters

A small but passionate band of animal welfare advocates is transforming the way Los Angeles City Hall deals with unwanted pets--and may soon be forcing pet owners to change their ways as well.

Appalled that more than 50,000 animals are put to death each year in city shelters, activists have forced both the state and city to ease rules for pet adoption. Animal rescue groups are now allowed to take dogs and cats from shelters to shopping malls and other venues in hopes of finding people to adopt them as pets.

The city’s head of animal services, Dan Knapp, is a favorite of animal activists. He was appointed by Mayor Richard Riordan in 1998 after criticism that the city hasn’t done enough to save animals.

Under Knapp, volunteers now work side-by-side with city employees at animal shelters--helping to relieve the workload on the staff and guiding potential adopters in selecting pets. When people show up at shelters with unwanted pets, the volunteers try to persuade them to keep the animals by offering help in dealing with such problems as pets that chew furniture.

The new direction is credited with helping to reduce the number of animals euthanized by the city, which dropped to 51,637 last year from 59,663. The number of animals impounded also fell off sharply, from 81,267 to 73,032, but that’s partly because in 1998 the city made a big push to round up strays.

“There is so much that can be done to save animals if we can just show people ways to solve problems so that they don’t have to get rid of their loved ones,” said Bobby Dorafshar, a volunteer who coordinates 13 rescue groups and more than 80 volunteers in a pilot project to reduce the euthanasia rate at the East Valley Animal Shelter in North Hollywood.

Because animals are considered personal property, laws for more than a century have protected the rights of owners and breeders to do what they please with them--so long as it does not constitute cruelty, said Susan Geranen, executive officer of the California Veterinary Medical Board.

But the pendulum appears to have swung, as rescuers have gained clout and lobbying savvy.

The Coalition for Pets and Public Safety, spearheaded by Teri Austin of the Amanda Foundation shelter rescue group, retained a public relations firm, Marathon Communications of Los Angeles, to promote its goals.

And a group called the Coalition to End Pet Over population, representing about 100 members and led by the Ark Trust of Encino, is credited with pushing a tough new law in Los Angeles that would levy a hefty surcharge on people who don’t have their pets spayed or neutered.

Under the proposed ordinance, annual license fees in the city for unaltered dogs would increase from $30 to $100. And anyone who owns an animal that has a litter would be required to purchase a $100 permit or face a fine of $500. The ordinance unanimously was recommended by the city Animal Regulation Commission last month and goes to a Los Angeles City Council committee for consideration March 6.

Knapp said the new rules are needed to “give the city the tools to affect the root cause” of overpopulation.

“Without addressing the cause, the problem and symptoms will continue unabated,” he said.

Opponents say it would penalize responsible breeders, while failing to thwart people who let their dogs and cats have litters without ensuring they have good homes.

Several cities have adopted similar rules, but there is no evidence they have been effective, said Dr. Gary Patronek, director of the Center for Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in Massachusetts.

“Enforcing these things can be very hard. The people who are contributing the least to the problem [responsible breeders], sometimes end up paying the highest price,” he said.

Some animal welfare advocates trace the current wave of activism to the 1994 Northridge earthquake. With shelters packed to four times capacity, volunteers came pouring in to help.

Dorafshar, the volunteer coordinator at East Valley, recalls the mayhem at the West Valley shelter in Chatsworth, besieged with an influx of more than 800 animals and a capacity for only 200.

“It was such a disaster,” said Dorafshar, who had gone there to search for a friend’s lost dog. “The animals were stressed, scared, injured with cuts and bruises. We called everyone we could. At least 25 people spent three days and nights bringing in crates and boxes and trying to find owners.”

Dorafshar and others said they were astounded by the number of animals that had to be destroyed to relieve the overcrowding.

After months of talks, several volunteers persuaded former Animal Regulation Chief Gary Olsen to allow them to take animals outside shelters to find adopters at malls, shopping centers and pet stores.

Within the first year, 200 volunteers were instrumental in placing about 5,000 animals, reducing the shelter euthanasia rate by about 9%, Dorafshar said.

But after several years, growing numbers of volunteers became increasingly critical of shelter practices and what they perceived as lax attitudes among the staff.

Many of the problems were attributed to budget and staffing problems in the shelters, “one of the lowest funded in the state, on a per capita basis,” said Gini Barrett, Western regional director of the American Humane Assn. and a former city Animal Commission member.

By 1997, many of the volunteers quit and began to pressure the mayor’s office for reforms. Olsen was reassigned to other duties. About the same time, a lawsuit was filed against the Animal Regulation Department, alleging extensive abuses and violations. The suit eventually was dismissed, but the charges prompted state Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles) to draft a bill, SB 1785, and call for public hearings in Sacramento.

The emotional testimony--including statements from people whose lost pets mistakenly were euthanized before they could claim them--gave impetus to passage of the bill, which expands holding periods for shelter animals, gives rescue groups greater access and power, and sets new requirements for finding owners of strays.

Attempts in the past to legislate animal control laws typically were defeated, Patronek said.

“The Hayden bill is a classic example of a small group of people being able to work with legislation and bypass the sheltering community,” he said.

With their newfound power, animal activists pushed for the selection of Knapp as the general manager. The city also changed the department’s name from Animal Regulation to Animal Services in an attempt to reflect a more pro-animal attitude.

After his appointment in July 1998, Knapp--former executive director of the Sonoma County Humane Society--pledged to cut the slaughter and work for “100% adoption of adoptable animals.”

After a spate of dog attacks, including the mauling death of a child, Knapp warned that the city is facing a pet overpopulation crisis. That prompted the City Council last year to call for mandatory spay and neuter laws.

The ordinance now going to the City Council was first the subject of a series of hearings before the five-member Animal Regulation Commission. Commission members include Riordan’s daughter, Kathleen, a rescue volunteer with several organizations, including New Leash on Life, a San Fernando Valley group.

Mayor Riordan on several occasions has pledged greater funds and resources for Animal Services. Current expenditures are expected to increase 32% over last year’s budget, and the department is seeking a 37% increase next year. Included are funds approved by the City Council to hire five additional animal control officers to enforce the proposed ordinance.

Duties will include monitoring newspaper and handbill notices of puppies and kittens for sale, Knapp said.

The program will include a public education campaign and new volunteer efforts, such as the program at East Valley.

Called Partners for Life, the project launched last fall includes free dog training and vouchers for spay and neuter programs.