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The administration has finally committed to full compliance with the Hayden Act and new oversight protocols are now in place at Devore. This outcome belongs to the 13,482 people who insisted that these animals deserve better than the treatment they were receiving. We must remain attentive as these changes take …

April 15, 2013

Stop Abuse At Devore Pound!

Stop Abuse At Devore Pound!

🏆 Won — 12,511 supporters Verified

Final supporters

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Patrick G.
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Suzanne T.
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GAIL T.
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Someone
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Victoria D.
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Susan H.
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Someone
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Someone
+12,501 more
Started by Anonymous 20 years, 3 months ago
EVERYONE WHO CARES ABOUT ANIMALS CAN SIGN We, the undersigned, are concerned about the welfare of animals. Furthermore, we are informed and thereon believe the following and advocate as follows: Devore Animal \'Shelter\' in Southern California is violating the Hayden Act and other laws of the State. SEE http://www.nokillnow.com/SB1785a.htm 1) The staff is killing impounded animals even when over HALF THE CAGES ARE EMPTY. They kill healthy adoptable animals on a daily basis regardless of whether there is room from them. Animals are killed when they could be adopted if they had more time. This is a violation of the Hayden Act, California\'s shelter law every municipal pound is bound by. 2) According to workers every day dogs were taken from their cages whereby they would wag their tails in glee until they are taken into a room with piles of dead dogs and then they go \'crazy\'. There they are killed and added to the pile. An animal attorney has stated this is a blatant violation of the law. 3)The staff refuses to give the public any deadline for dogs because they don\'t like to admit they kill there. In fact, sometimes they deny it! This keeps animals set to die from getting adopted for lack of a deadline and it misleads the public what occurs at Devore. 4) The staff allowed perhaps hundreds of animals to be stolen over a period of years without doing ANYTHING to protect the animals. This included weaning puppies and kittens who likely could not survive without their mother. While this was just recently addressed, officials had funds appropriated for security measures and yet procrastinated so that many animals suffered needlessly. They only took action after numerous complaints. 5) A uniformed dog catcher/animal controller who stands about 6\'5\" was reportedly seen by a pound worker beating a 17 pound dog in his cage until blood poured from his head and mouth and body and all over the cage in every direction. The worker said the uniformed employee kicked the dog repeatedly and swung his baton overhead and landed many blows on this dog while the dog was screaming and wailing. The dog cowered in the corner of his cage the entire time, screaming and wailing. This was reported to the Sheriff who did nothing. The witness has memorialized a statement on a tape recording. This uniformed controller is still working there and apparently has suffered NO consequence as a result of this beating. According to another worker, there was a cover-up of what happened among some working there. 6) The water for the dogs in several cages has for months been a bright lime-green color because the water dishes are apparently never or infrequently washed. A rat was seen for months sitting on a cage near the dogs. 7) Cats have been kept in cages in the killing room, forcing them to witness other animals being put to death. 8) Healthy adoptable animals are kept in the quarantine area regularly. Once there, they cannot be adopted because visitors can\'t view them, they are not always on the bulletin board at the facility and some never make it on the internet. This seals the fate of many of these dogs. 9) Employees with dubious judgment deem animals \'aggressive\' when they are not. 10) Workers stated on several occasions they saw animals that obviously needed vet care and they were told not to worry about it. These animals suffered needlessly and then were killed. Many of these conditions were minor such as eye infections or wounds. One reported that an \'owner\' brought in a dog that was in severe pain and they asked that the dog be euthanized. The dog was instead held at least four days, without medication and was in obvious agony the entire time. When asked \'why\', the supervisor said they had to hold the dog until the time was up. 11) A worker stated that she heard a female kennel keeper say she was interested in doing the killing (\'euthanizing\') and that she was told she could. The worker overheard the female saying she did the killing and that she apparently enjoyed the experience. 12) Workers reported they were upset when pigs were killed there. Instead of giving them more time or trying to find a home for them, they were killed in the yard and their bodies were left there for days. During that time perhaps they could have been adopted. This Petition is for the purpose of demanding a new administration take over the running of the Devore facility. In addition, we demand the staff stop all killing of animals while there are empty cages and room for them. Furthermore, we demand that this facility engage in modern practices including focusing on adopting instead of killing adoptable animals, that animals receive veterinary care when needed, that the facility be kept sanitary, that no animal should be killed in a room filled with piles of dead animals (or even one), that the date of death for an animal be posted for at least 24 hours before they are killed, that animals be protected while they are there from being stolen or harmed by others, that no animals be housed in \'the killing room\', that no animals be killed by unlicensed employees to satisfy their curiosity and that this facility work towards a NO-KILL goal. Accounts of these details at: http://www.nokillnow.com/devore4.htm AND http://www.nokillnow.com/devore.htm Please keep coming back to view the updates over the next 60 days.

Updates

February 1, 2013

Reaching ten thousand signatures brings a heavy weight of responsibility regarding the lives we are fighting to save at Devore. This milestone demonstrates that a vast community refuses to accept the current treatment of these animals as normal. We must now prepare to ensure this collective concern is felt where it truly matters.

Reached 10,000 supporters

January 29, 2013

Reached 1,000 supporters

May 14, 2006

May 13, 2006

We are approaching one thousand signatures and this momentum signals that our community will no longer remain silent regarding the conditions at Devore. Reaching this milestone will provide the necessary weight to demand a formal review of these practices. Please ensure that those in your circle who value animal welfare are aware of this effort before we present our findings.

Reached 100 supporters

May 5, 2006

May 3, 2006

Watching the count approach one hundred signatures reminds me that we are gathering a meaningful group of people who refuse to ignore what happens at Devore. This represents a collective decision to demand that the law be followed for these animals. Please consider sending this along to someone else who might value the truth about these conditions.

1,080 Comments

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Anastasia Sarames
3 years ago Featured

I have been monitoring this shelter for about two years and the kill rate is astonishing. Animals are taken off stray hold and immediately killed, van loads of animals are reported dead without detail, and the county bewilderingly does not have a TNR program.

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Kimberlyn Elliott
4 years ago Featured

They were 5 minutes from killing a dog I pulled there. Labeled him a 1 year old Pit Bull. He clearly is not has been the best dog I’ve ever had and for 12 years now he’s had a great life. The man running that place was heartless and cruel.

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Lisa Nanette Allender
4 years ago Featured

Please, let’s strive for Humanity. Abuse of animals is never justified or necessary. Let’s start with keeping animals in kennels for Adoption. NO ANIMALS should watch other animals be killed, or be placed into a room with recently killed animals! Be humane!

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Patrick Grench
2 months ago

That Place is awful RIP Little Rocker the Lab that had parvo … we gave him love and a home for 6 days in February 2026 We didn’t know they had outbreaks and under vaccinated puppies He didn’t make it and that was so sad and horrible for us!

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Suzanne Thorpe
3 months ago

These dogs and cats have suffered enough without being put in a death camp. Close this evil place down now and create a decent no kill shelter for the dogs who have already been betrayed.

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Anonymous
3 months ago

Humans have domesticated cats and dogs and now it is our responsibility to care for them humanely. The allegations of mistreatment are awful, and you should be held accountable for any mistreatment of these poor animals.

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Anonymous
4 months ago

As a person who has adopted from here, minutes before my dogs were going to be killed, I have seen, outsourced and know the outcomes fir animals that end up in this Shelter. From puppies, kittens, senior animals, extremely stressed animals. All being mislabeled, put in the back, or euthanized immediately. This disgusting vile, killing arena needs to be shut down permanently.

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Victoria Dizon
5 months ago

I adopted a puppy last Sunday, Feb 22. Come Thursday afternoon, the puppy tested parvo. I contacted the shelter for them to treat him but they said they were just going to euthanize him. I took the puppy and had outpatient treatment, only to lose him Saturday morning. This place didn’t complete the puppy’s parvo vaccines but told us he was ready to be adopted. This place needs to be investigated and shutdown.