Particle.news
Download on the App Store

LA County Seizure of 316 Pets Strains Shelters, Triggers Adoption Push

County shelters face a space crunch because many seized pets must be held as court evidence.

Overview

  • The rescue, which followed a Friday search warrant backed by district attorney investigators, removed 250 dogs and 66 cats from a Lake Hughes property.
  • To create room, all seven county centers opened for extra hours Sunday and urged people to adopt or foster pets already in shelters.
  • Facing crowding, LA agencies arranged an out-of-state transfer, with 32 dogs set to fly to PAWS Chicago on Tuesday to open kennels for the seized pets.
  • Many of the rescued animals must stay in custody as evidence in the active case, and officials reported no arrests as of Monday.
  • Officials cite years of complaints and call this the department’s largest seizure to date, after revising early estimates to a confirmed total of 316.