Rumor #2: LA Animal Services refused to respond to help a tethered Rottweiller for 3 months

Fact:
There is no evidence that the situation was reported to Animal Services three months earlier, as has been rumored. Even the woman who claimed to have called a complaint in could not confirm when she had done so or identify who she might have spoken to at the time. She did acknowledge that she had not personally seen any abuse but rather was reporting something a couple of co-workers had told her. The department's officers talked to the co-workers and they would not acknowledge actually having seen any abuse either. The officers' inspection of the dog ("Lisi") found a medical condition but no signs of abuse.

Department records show only one prior inquiry (in 2002) regarding the address where the Rottweiler, Lisi lived. However, the inquiry in 2002 was about a situation with cats.

The department's records show that the case first came to their attention on December 29th and Animal Cruelty Task Force officers visited the site four times between then and January 5th, issuing a citation and instructing the owner to have the medical condition double-checked and establish better conditions on site for the dog. They interviewed the dog's erstwhile owner, the woman who allegedly called in the complaint and several others, including the person from Animal Alliance who ended up taking the dog from the owner (twice, the second time permanently and with the owner's full permission). All of this went on during the time Mr. Boks was saying "I'm on it" and a lot of people were complaining that he wasn't. Mr. Boks was not at liberty to talk about the details of what the department was doing while the investigation was ongoing.

Once a complaint was actually made to the department, officers were indeed "on it" and their efforts contributed to creating an improved situation for Lisi without her having to suffer the additional trauma of a shelter impoundment.

Back to Rumor Page