ANIMAL WATCH
New California Dog-Bite Law Protects Adopters from Dangerous Animals
ANIMAL WATCH-Two recent horrifying attacks on humans in one month by dogs available for adoption at Los Angeles Animal Services’ shelters -- a Pit Bull (Mugsy) and a German Shepherd (Boss) -- illustrate the critical need for AB 588, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 2, 2019.
Racehorse Deaths: The Shame Stretches Far Beyond Santa Anita
ANIMAL WATCH-Emtech, a 3-year-old colt, was euthanized on the track at Santa Anita on September 28 after a tragic injury that broke both of his front legs, and just as prime-time TV ads announced the 2019 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita in November.
Pit Bull Attacks, Fake Service Dogs and Internet-Dog-Trainer Certificates Erode Public Safety
ANIMAL WATCH-A trial was held in Los Angeles Superior Court last week regarding a Pit Bull named Rocket that attacked and severely injured a woman walking by an apartment house.
Ed Buck: Sex, Money, Drugs, Death and … Upsetting Donations to an Arizona Senator
Los Angeles-area animal activist and political donor Ed Buck, who appeared in support of Councilman Paul Koretz' ban on pet shops, was once photographed with such notable Democrats as Hillary Clinton but now faces a 20-years- to-life sentence in prison if convicted of federal and state charges issued this week.
Dog with History of Aggression Attacks Child at Los Angeles Animal Services 'No Kill' Shelter
ANIMAL WATCH-Two weeks after a 'fostered' Pit Bull, "Mugsy," from a Los Angeles Animal Services' shelter, viciously attacked and injured the wife of drummer/musical instructor Noel Jasso on July 7, another tragic incident occurred involving a dog being offered for adoption under General Manager Brenda Barnette's "No Kill" policy.
Los Angeles Citywide Feral Cat-Trap/Neuter/Release Plan: A 'Fix' or a Fraud?
ANIMAL WATCH-On August 29, LA Animal Services General Manager Brenda Barnette announced the release of a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared by the City which would require taxpayers to fund spays/neuters of 20,000 feral cats annually for ten years (about $2,000,000 at today's estimate of $100 per surgery) and release the cats citywide.
Is Los Angeles Animal Services Using Your Dog License Information for Non-City Business?
ANIMAL WATCH-Dog owners in the city of Los Angeles receive an annual (or multi-year) notice from LA Animal Services to renew their dog's license and provide proof of rabies vaccination, but does General Manager Brenda Barnette have the legal right to use their information for unofficial, non-City solicitations?
LA Animal Services "Prison Dog Training Program" Flyer Features Black Man with Pit Bull
ANIMAL WATCH-The "first ever" Prison Dog Training introduced by LA Animal Services GM Brenda Barnette and AGM MeLissa Webber and approved by the LAAS Commission last December got off to an "insensitive" start when the media release sent out on July 29, featured a Black man with a Pit Bull.
LA County Adopts ‘Socially Conscious Animal Sheltering’ Policy , Featuring Humane Care
ANIMAL WATCH-The two largest public animal sheltering agencies in the U.S. are Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control (Director, Marcia Mayeda) and Los Angeles Animal Services (General Manager, Brenda Barnette).
Pit Bull that Attacked LA 'Foster' Had Known History of Aggression - Can Shelters Escape Liability?
ANIMAL WATCH-On July 7, Los Angeles drummer/music instructor Noel Jasso and his wife responded to LA Animal Services GM Brenda Barnette’s media pleas to “foster” a homeless dog to relieve overcrowding after the 4th of July, and they opened their hearts and home to a two-year-old Pit Bull named Mugsy.
LA Animal Services Proposed Horse Racing Ban - Was it a Publicity Stunt?
ANIMAL WATCH-On January 9, Commissioner Roger Wolfson of the Los Angeles Animal Services Commission requested discussion of a horse racing ban in the City of Los Angeles be agendized soon, in view of the recent deaths of horses at nearby Santa Anita.
'Fostered' Pit Bull Attacks Wife of Los Angeles Drummer / Instructor Noel Jasso
ANIMAL WATCH-Los Angeles Animal Services General Manager Brenda Barnette’s plaintive media pleas for pet lovers to “foster” impounded dogs from the City's six shelters during the Fourth of July holiday week touched the hearts of LA drummer Noel Jasso and his wife, Tori, who opened their home on July 7 to a two-year-old Pit Bull named Mugsy.(Photo above.)
Does LA Animal Services-UCLA Dog Bite Investigation Class Have a Hidden Agenda?
ANIMAL WATCH-On July 8, LA Animal Services GM Brenda Barnette sent out a media release to the LAAS social media mailing list inviting the public to attend a joint program with UCLA on July 19 on Dog Bite Investigations, taught by Jim Crosby, (photo above) an "expert in canine behavior, dog bites and attacks and shelter management and operations."
Coyotes and Rabies on the Rise in LA - Will the Homeless Become Victims?
ANIMAL WATCH-Los Angeles Animal Services' General Manager Brenda Barnette states on the LAAS website “Coyote page” that the department's goal is "to educate the public by fostering a relationship of mutual respect between wildlife and the community so we can live together safely," but apparently Southern California coyotes have a much different definition of respect and safety...AND they are known vectors for rabies.
Pit Bull Escapes, Fatally Mauls Miniature Pony - Surviving Pets, Community Grieves
ANIMAL WATCH-This is not the article I planned to write for the Fourth of July.
LAAS GM Brenda Barnette's 'Finders-Keepers’ Plan Can Result in Dog Attacks and Lost Pet Scams
ANIMAL WATCH-On Tuesday, June 25, the City Council will vote on Los Angeles Animal Services General Manager Brenda Barnette's ordinance to allow any stranger to pick up a stray or lost dog or cat and keep it, with the City's blessing. After 30 days, Barnette proposes, the finder could adopt it through LAAS, although it was never in the shelter.
Help Stop the Brutal Torture and Killing of Tens of Millions of Dogs in the Dog Meat Trade
ANIMAL RIGHTS-On June 5, a resolution was introduced in the Los Angeles City Council, asking the governments of China, Vietnam, South Korea, Cambodia, and Indonesia to ban the sale of dog meat and to enforce their animal cruelty laws
Pit Bull Attack Victims - Who Speaks for Them?
ANIMAL WATCH-Pit Bull attacks continue to ravage the lives of animal and human victims across the U.S. and Canada at an epidemic level, as officials directly responsible for public safety, including Los Angeles Animal Services' GM Brenda Barnette, manipulate policies and release unsafe animals to reach a nebulous goal set by Best Friends Animal Society to "save them all" and achieve "no kill."
Do CA Animal Shelters and Rescues have a Right to Release Dangerous Dogs?
ANIMAL WATCH--In a geographic area where media reports of Pit Bull and other dangerous dog attacks on humans and pets have become common, the chilling public mauling of a 7-year-old girl at A Passion for Paws Akita Ranch, a rescue kennel in Romoland--75 miles southeast of Los Angeles--sent shockwaves through Southern California.
Dogo Argentino Savagely Attacks LA Jogger, Victim's Medical Bills Over $190,000
ANIMAL WATCH--The Los Angeles Animal Services Commission on March 28 upheld GM Brenda Barnette's decision that a 4-year-old Dogo Argentino (large Pit Bull-type dog, photo above) which escaped from a yard and brutally mauled a passing jogger in a Northridge community should be declared a 'dangerous dog.'
Nativo Lopez, Immigrant-Rights Activist and the ‘Don King of Cockfights’ Dies
ANIMAL WATCH--Nativo Lopez, 68, immigrant-rights activist (born Larry Lopez and eulogized by long-time friend and political ally L.A. City Councilman Gil Cedillo as Nativo Lopez Vigil), died last week from cancer, according to news sources. Lopez was also called the 'Don King of Cockfights.'
Should Feral Cats be Banned?
ANIMAL WATCH--Los Angeles Animal Services' General Manager Brenda Barnette, local cat rescuers, shelter volunteers, Best Friends Animal Society and other 'trap-neuter-release' (TNR) advocates claim feral and stray cats are the cause of LA not being a 'No Kill' city. We are told if we would just spend more money on trap-neuter-release (TNR), L.A. would rank as a leader in humaneness.
'No Kill' has Failed - Socially Conscious Animal-Sheltering Begins
ANIMAL WATCH--"No Kill" has been a gruesome experiment that has resulted in the painful mauling and deaths of thousands of innocent people and far more pets by Pit Bulls.
CA 'Rescued-Pet Shop' Sham Helps Puppy Mills Thrive through Legal Loopholes
ANIMAL WATCH-Councilman Paul Koretz basked in the adoration of “pet rescuers” -- and especially a few large and affluent animal charities -- after he introduced the Puppy-Mill Pet Shop Ban in 2012, making zoning changes to permit citywide kennels known as “rescued-pet shops."
Pit-Bulls Lead in Dog Attacks in 2018, CA Insurance Costs Soar, and LA May Increase Dog Limit
ANIMAL WATCH-New figures were just released and Los Angeles is still the No. 2 city in the nation in dog attacks on U.S. Postal mail carriers, as LA Animal Services GM Brenda Barnette, Councilmen Paul Koretz and the puppet LA Animal Services’ Commission move toward increasing the three-dog-per-property limit in order to dump more “challenged” Pit-Bull-type dogs in adoptive homes that believe the Best Friends' claim that the Pit Bull Terrier is a Nanny Dog.
Putin Signs Animal Cruelty Ban in Russia, Activists Claim It's ‘Fake News’
ANIMAL WATCH-While the U.S. focused on possible Russian influence in the election of President Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin signed an almost-unnoticed historic law to end animal cruelty in Russia, including a ban on dog fighting and animals in petting zoos, and establishing breed-specific laws (BSL) and dangerous dog controls.
Sex with Animals: Is Proposed CA Bestiality Law (AB 611) Fatally Flawed?
(WARNING: Content of this article may disturb some readers.)
ANIMAL WATCH-At its April 9 meeting, the Los Angeles Animal Services Commissioners delayed its vote on GM Brenda Barnette's recommendation to support Assembly Bill 611 (Nazarian) -- Prohibition on the Sexual Abuse of Animals -- until its next meeting.
Pit Bulls, Dog Fighting and ‘Bait Dog’ Hype in LA
ANIMAL WATCH-There have been no dog-fighting convictions in the city of Los Angeles since Brenda Barnette was appointed as General Manager of Los Angeles Animal Services in 2010, according to a member of the Los Angeles Animal Cruelty Task Force, which is now part of LA Police Department. The felony charges upheld against Arnett William Counts and Walter Citizen was the last successful trial in 2008.
China Clones It’s "Best and Brightest" Police Dog
ANIMAL WATCH-Scientists from China's Yunnan province have successfully cloned a Kumming wolf dog, named Kunxun, (photo above) from a "great canine detective," and predict she will be the “Sherlock Holmes of police dogs,” according to the Global Times.