LANCASTER – Though most Antelope Valley residents look forward to celebrating Independence Day, their pets face the risk of being displaced from their homes after being scared by fireworks.
“What we see on the 4th of July every year with all of our animal care centers is a terrible spike in the animals coming into our shelters,” said Betsey Webster, Chief Deputy Director at the LA County Department of Animal Care and Control. “We like to remind people that when animals hear these fireworks, it disorients them, and it activates their flight instinct, and they will start bolting out of yards and behaving in ways that they aren’t used to,” Webster added.
She said her department is encouraging people to provide an extra layer of security for their animals on this 4th of July by placing them inside the home or garage during firework displays and loud events.
Jeanette Portocarrero, who runs the boarding and adoption center Lost and Found Dogs in the Antelope Valley, has launched a social media forum to keep pets from filling up the Lancaster Animal Care Center on the 4th of July.
“I’m concerned about the number of pets that will be coming into the shelter on the 4th of July, and this is my attempt to avoid having to call animal control on the 4th,” said Portocarrero, who has been helping to reunite animals with their families in the Antelope Valley for the past three years.
Portocarrero is asking the public to immediately report lost or found pets on this Facebook page here. Posting pictures of the dogs or cats will ensure that they are reunited with their families as quickly as possible, Portocarrero said.
“If anyone finds a pet during the night, please hold on to it, put a picture up on the Facebook page immediately so we can reunite the pets to your home instead of all these pets overloading the shelter,” she said. “They don’t even have to go there because it’s already full… so you can imagine by the 4th of July what’s going to happen.”
Underlying the urgency to recover lost animals as soon as possible is the alarming realization that Lancaster Animal Shelter is already overburdened with dogs, cats and other animals.
According to Webster, the Lancaster Animal Care Center receives nearly 100 animals a day “when it’s not the 4th of July.”
The Lancaster shelter had 283 dogs, 165 cats, 9 birds, and 12 livestock, as of close of business on Monday, Webster told The AV Times.
When asked how long an animal has at a county shelter before it is euthanized, Webster said “times for animals vary in terms of the legal time we have to hold it before it can be adopted or before it can be euthanized.”
She said the shelter will hold an animal longer if it has identification.
“We’ll contact the owner to come and get their pet,” Webster said. “If it doesn’t have identification, there is a shorter holding period for that animal.”
However, Webster stressed that “adoptable animals” are not euthanized; rather, the shelter will attempt to find homes for them.
Portocarrero, who has helped to move thousands of dogs out of the shelter and into homes over the years, expressed deep concern over the shelter’s adoption program facing yet another burden with the upcoming 4th of July holiday.
Complicating the scenario is the arrest of a Rosamond woman who was a key player in moving dogs and cats out of the Lancaster shelter to relieve congestion.
Christina Patz of Rosamond was arrested at her home on Friday (June 27) and booked on “90 initial felony charges of cruelty to an animal,” according to a report by Bakersfield’s KGET TV 17. Officers were called to the Rosamond residence on reports of unsanitary conditions and an illegal kennel, and Kern County animal control officers “discovered 64 dead cats, and 155 felines living in inhumane conditions.”
Though the case is still under investigation, cats from the residence were taken to several Kern County Animal Services’ shelters for medical treatment, 23 of which were required to be euthanized.
“Everybody is just in shock because she is the bloodline in rescuing and saving these pets because so many rescuers use her to get those animals out of there,” Portocarrero told The AV Times, describing Patz as the “most active puller at the Lancaster shelter.”
A “puller” is an individual who is authorized by a 501(c)-registered rescue group to remove adoptable animals from a county shelter to arrange for an adoption or foster placement of the animal.
Despite allegations of animal negligence against Patz, her role as a high-volume animal “puller” in the Antelope Valley has helped to fight the congestion of animals at the Lancaster shelter, Portocarrero said.
“We would literally pull several dozen a day,” Portocarrero said. “So with the two pullers we still have, they’re not of the same caliber of this woman – like I said, we were shipping dogs out by the busload, finding them good homes. These other ladies can only do one or two at a time.”
Though Webster was not aware of Patz’s arrest, she said that no other adoption partners have been suspended due to this incident, emphasizing how much the county shelter relies on its animal pullers.
“As you can see, it’s one of our most successful methods of having animals leave alive. And so we really respect their role in this and partner really close with them,” Webster said.
Lancaster Animal Care Center Manager Sheri Koenig said that both the approaching holiday impact on family pets and the arrest of Patz have put animal care personnel in a precarious position.
“Yes, it is definitely hard for the shelter to keep up with arranging a lot of adoptions of the animals that come into the shelter,” Koenig said. “But we’re doing a lot to counteract the current situation. We will work to get additional rescues involved, increase outreach events to the community, as well as more transports of animals from our shelter to others.”
Webster told The AV Times that 244 dogs went to rescue groups from the Lancaster shelter in June, while 186 dogs were adopted, and 64 were returned to their owners.
Webster also informed The AV Times that the Lancaster Animal Care Center will receive a new call center for the Antelope Valley within the next month. She said the animal care center will be hiring a few call takers for the communications center. In addition, three animal control officers will be added to the Lancaster shelter.
The Lancaster Animal Care Center is located at 5210 W. Ave. I., Lancaster, Ca. 93536. For more information, call 661-940-4191 or visit www.facebook.com/CountyofLALancasterAnimalCareCenter.
For more information on Portocarrero’s boarding and adoption center, visit her Facebook forum page at www.facebook.com/groups/lafdav. To post a picture of a local lost or found animal during the 4th of July holiday period, visit www.facebook.com/lostonthe4thofjuly.
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Tim Nixon says
I have read on the web that this same shelter murdered dogs in their care while in cages by having them shot because the dogs were aggressive and cats that were removed from someone’s property was killed. I have also been told this shelter extracts payment from unsuspecting victims and when they can’t pay seize their animals and murder them and get the state to file charges against them. I was told there are phone images of the dogs shot while in their cages images taken by employees of that shelter who were horrified by the act of violence and traumatized. They claim the animals were killed because the department was paid by others who didn’t like the alleged owner of these animals. I have seen videos of animals inside of cages at this shelter who are hungry and thirsty yet no one does anything and when I or someone else complained to one of the staff about getting water to the animals or that the animals look too skinny and some just are not able to get up because they lack the strength I am met with indifference. No one does anything about correcting the situation. Sad that animals rescued or pretend to have been seized by this agency are killed behind this lie and the owners are criminally charged.
TheOneChick says
You mentioned reading these allegations on the web. Can you provide links? I’m very interested in this.
do-gooder says
I find it appalling that the shelter personal did not do a thing to check on where all these hundreds of animals Patz was pulling were going! Patz was part of the Feral Paws “rescue” in fresno who are known money scammers and hoarders. They collect 150$ for each cat they pull from the public who pledge to help the cats. You do the math! They were getting thousands of dollars for these cats an then letting them die of disease in filty cages and houses. It would have been better for them to be euthed humanely at the shelter than to have gone through such suffering at the hands of people who just wanted the money! If the founder of feral paws hasnt been arrested she certainly should be as she was the leader and organizer of this scam! AND the person whom they were pulling under should be suspended as well! after the cats went to Patz they would then transfer them to the feral paws compound, if they lived that long, that is. I for one hold the shelter superviors responcible for this mess. NO ONE! not even the large groups can adopt thousands of cats out in a year NO ONE! they should have become suspicous and done something to stop them long ago. DO NOT make Patz out to be some kind of hero. She is a MONSTER and everyone needs to know it.
D says
I can only hope it turns into a successful business as hard as Jeanette works at what she does. Works way more than 40hr work week and is committed to the care for animals as the day is long. Keep up the good work.
Donna says
What people need to understand is that this woman was overwhelmed in a situation caused by irresponsible pet owners and KILL shelters. She should of asked for help – but who to ask? Do you know that many kill shelters have EMPTY cages but kill healthy animals? If an animal comes in sick – they have no chance. Spay and neuter that IS NOT done by irresponsible owners that dump their animals is supposed to be done AT THE SHELTER. So direct your anger at who and what it should be directed at. Kill shelters need to be put out of business. Mandatory spay and neuter HAS to be put in effect. Breeders and mills shut down. ALL companion animals need to be microchipped and the info on chip has to be kept current by law. ALL animal abuse prosecuted – whether by pet owner’s or the “supposed” shelters. So many want to cry foul when these type of stories hit the news – but what are you doing to help change the system? Are YOU a responsible pet owner? YOUR pets spayed and neutered? Are you making that lifetime commitment to your pets? She would of never had this many cats and none would of died if humans cared for their pets responsibly and “shelters” did what they were intended to do – GIVE shelter instead of killing.
Nance B says
yes, don’t direct your anger at a girl who’s supposed to be helping animals hoarding and being irresponsible – animals being sick and dead in her care! blame the system. are you smoking something, or are you her?
Megan says
I find it ridicilous that the person you have posing for this photo is the very same person who would rather put animals to sleep instead of working with rescues, he puts on a good front especially in front of the camera but being someone who knows this shelter inside and out I can promise you, he is the last person you should have posing, and trying to voice “concern”
tonya says
He works with rescues, he’s helped us a lot! Maybe you are the problem, many rescuers are wacko
Megan says
Im not a rescuse. I worked for him. Ive seen the good the bad and the ugly of this place. When weve been there everyday for 5+ years then you can tell me how he is!
Suzi says
Could you please remove my last name from post that I just submitted. Thank you.
Suzi Levy says
This shelter acts like they care. July 4, 2013, this shelter killed over 50 dogs. The majority were all under a year, many puppies, fancy breeds and ALL highly adoptable. Dogs here have disappeared, escaped through holes in fences, and some believe it or not down drains because workers were too lazy to put covers back on. Many, many times, this shelter has had a low number of dogs and they still kill, kill, kill. It’s all about the money. Ask where the dogs go after being killed. D & D Disposal/ Westcoast Animal Rendering plant in Vernon, Ca. Soap? Fertilizer? Shampoo? Why would shelters rather kill than get a dog adopted?
Melissa says
Lancaster only cares to murder animals. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars helping a woman who pulls animals from certain death @ Lancaster and she is now banned from saving lives. Tell Mayor Rex Parris (Phone him at 661-723-6019) of Lancaster to put an end to the murder of these animals! 252 dogs in LANCASTER. NO WAY for most to exit! The 4th of July is here! AC timed this beautifully. It will be a bloodbath! For all the workers celebrating. Get mad, do something and tell them you won’t stand for what they are really doing @ LAncaster. They don’t care about the animals, they only care about money!
mandy says
Lancaster needs new rescues and people to come and help. I heard Christina Patz got paid to pull animals, so it was her job. I’m sure others who want to help animals and get paid could fill that position. My friend wanted 2 dogs pulled from Lancaster and was told she had to pay the puller ‘$50’ each on top of transporting the animals! Helping animals has turned into a business for some of these people, who obviously don’t have the pets best interest at heart.
me again says
wasn’t talking about Lost and Found Jenine! Meant the girl arrested for abuse who was a puller, if it’s true she got paid to pull animals (I thought people volunteered to do this, but I guess everyone needs to make a living. but what I’m saying is if she was pulling so many animals, she could make easy a couple hundred bucks a day. Then why were animals suffering in her care? If they died she had the money to give them a final resting place. was she a nurse rachit or mother teresa. sounds like both. Everything comes down to money when people act out – my 2ctz
Lauralyn says
I adopted a dog who was pulled from the shelter by a rescue group and she is a wonderful addition to my family. When I drive around I am constantly looking for dogs who seem lost, taking pictures and posting them on Lost and Found Animals of the Antelope Valley’s Facebook page. I also have dog food and water in my car for strays who are living in empty lots but have refused to go home with a rescuer.
G. Marrion says
The DACC needs to resume the old door to door check for pets without tags. Fines from violators would fund the drive. Pets without tags are the norm in surrounding areas, and their owners usually have several animals. They deny ownership of them as they get loose and caught, and they get little or no attention because they are cheap security instead of pets. Worse part is few of these roaming pets are fixed. This is the root of the problem.
Laurie says
Actually it is the city who gets the licensing fees. DAAC stopped sending out county paid employees to enforce fees that they do not keep. These employees are working to care for the animals instead of knocking on doors.
laura says
This is an awesome idea..I will sure post here if I see any strays…thank you so much!
Nancy P says
You are a hero to the lost animals and owners in the AV. Thank you for all you and your network of people do.