(SAN BERNARDINO) – The county of San Bernardino's main animal shelter, located in the Devore area of the San Bernardino valley, will be the Southern California locale for a national protest against high-kill animal shelters. Commonly known as “Devore,” its staff boasts of their 25 percent adoption rate while trying to hide what happens to the other 75 percent of the more than 15,000 dogs and cats that enter the shelter each year. The shelter does not allow animal welfare volunteers to assist with adoptable animals but instead relies on prisoners working off their time to assist with animal care.
Prior to resorting to protest, animal rescuers attempted to gain the attention of the county’s Board of Supervisors through presentations at board meetings, emails, and letters. Several rescues tried to meet with board members one-on-one. Child actors Malese Jow, Lou Wegner & Devin Fox from Kids Against Animal Cruelty filmed a public service announcement to encourage adoptions and spay and neuter. Only Third District Supervisor Neil Derry showed concerned for the conditions at the shelter. Supervisors Brad Mitzelfelt, Janice Rutherford, Gary Ovitt, and Josie Gonzales exhibited only disdain towards rescuers and were unmoved by the suffering and death of so many animals at the hands of their employees in “California’s Most Corrupt County.”
The Devore shelter is known nationally in the rescue community as a “hell hole” for the animals in its care. Rescuers from around the United States and Canada have collaborated to pull as many animals as possible before they are ruthlessly killed in barbaric fashion. However, there are repeated instances where rescues have raised the funds to pull an animal, and in some cases are literally on the premises to pay the fees, only to have shelter staff euthanize the animal almost in front of them. Many of the shelter’s staff are highly antagonistic towards the rescue community.
One such instance involved a young Pit Bull animal welfare workers named Piglet. Piglet won the hearts of rescuers around the country with her unusual pig-like look. Piglet had a family waiting for her and a puller to pay the fees and take custody. Shelter staff ordered her killed instead. This unnecessary killing became the proverbial final straw, galvanizing the effort and strengthening the resolve of rescuers to effect change at one of California’s worst shelters.
Southern California rescues will join forces tomorrow, Saturday, November 12, 2011, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. to demonstrate at the Devore shelter as part of a national protest sponsored by the New York Animal Rights Alliance of America. Rain is expected throughout the day but the most diehard rescuers say they will be there come rain or shine. For more information, please refer to the group’s Facebook page.
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