Los Angeles city animal shelters have been hit with a severe overcrowding crisis and animal advocates are urgently calling on community members to consider adopting a pet, officials said Thursday.
More than 900 dogs are in the custody of LA Animal Services, with the Chesterfield Square/South LA shelter now housing nearly 250 dogs and puppies, according to the city.
Without immediate help, healthy, adoptable pets are at risk of euthanasia simply due to lack of space, the agency announced. As a result, LA Animal Services has reduced adoption fees every weekend this month.
"Our Chesterfield Square/South LA shelter has already seen a 32% surge in dog intake compared to the same time last year," Annette Ramirez, interim general manager of LA Animal Services, said in a statement. "With nowhere left to house incoming animals, we are facing heartbreaking decisions for pets who deserve a second chance."
Shira Scott Astrof, an animal rights advocate and founder of the Animal Rescue Mission, told KNX News’ Nataly Tavidian that it can’t get any worse.
“The shelters are so bad, there's no enforcement of spay and neuter,” she said. “ I called animal control the other day because I saw a bunch of puppies in a cage in a homeless encampment in the sun, and they said they were gonna go over there and you know what they said? They said, ‘oh well, we brought supplies for them.’ So, how do we expect things to get better when we're allowing backyard breeding?”
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Weekend adoptions at all six LA Animal Services centers are just $51 for dogs, $75 for puppies, $12.50 for cats, and $25 for kittens. Every adopted pet comes spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped.
During the recent City Council meeting to discuss Mayor Karen Bass' proposed fiscal year 2025-26 budget, her office recommended that $5 million in what's called the "unappropriated balance" be put back into the Animal Services budget, which would restore funding so no shelters would close, Ramirez said.
The mayor's recommendations will require the approval of both the Budget and Finance Committee and City Council.
The six LA Animal Services shelters are open without appointments Tuesdays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The centers are closed Mondays and city-observed holidays.
For more information about LA Animal Services and a list of shelter locations, go to LAAnimalServices.com.
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