City
officials suspended a program Monday that moves animals from Los
Angeles' overcrowded shelters to other California cities because
of concerns about its effectiveness.
While voting to halt the city's participation in the Rescue
Waggin', the Board of Animal Services Commissioners praised the
program's intentions and asked city staffers to find a way to
make it work by next month.
"This is a great thing on paper," said Kathleen Riordan,
president of the commission. "But the thing is sometimes
programs launch and only then you find out what these glitches
are."
Rescue Waggin' began picking up pets in Los Angeles earlier
this summer, transporting dogs and puppies from cramped shelters
to lower-volume cities where they might have a better chance at
being adopted.
Susana Della Maddalena, whose PetSmart Charities runs the
program, said it has saved thousands of dogs in the Midwest and
she would like to expand it in Southern California.
That is a rare opportunity for Los Angeles to ease shelter
overcrowding and reduce euthanasia, say proponents of the plan.
Critics, though, contend that in practice the program might be
keeping adoptable pets from finding homes while subjecting them
to health problems.
Such worries won over the commissioners who oversee the
city's animal services agency. They seemed particularly
concerned that animals chosen for the program must wait up to
seven days to be evaluated before transport, time in which they
mingle with the general shelter population but are not eligible
for adoption.
"The reality is, during the holding period they're being
exposed to illnesses," said Commissioner Tariq Khero.
Scott Sorrentino, president of the North Hollywood-based
Rescue & Humane Alliance, added that the dogs being chosen for
the program are often the ones most likely to
find homes and so the holding period and transport actually
decrease their chances of success.
Phyllis Daugherty of the Animal Issues Movement acknowledged
that the existing program has flaws but she urged the commission
to stay the course. She said it could save many dogs and she
defended another controversial aspect of the operation, the
administering of temperament tests, saying such examinations can
keep pets from being placed in improper environments.
"The standards the Rescue Waggin' are using are for the
safety of the animals," she said.
The commissioners, though, were concerned about the tests
making the city legally liable if the dogs are involved in a
violent incident later.
The commissioners voted to revisit the issue at their next
meeting. Meanwhile, they asked animal services staffers to look
at fixes such as quarantining the Rescue Waggin' pets during a
reduced holding period and choosing animals to participate who
have had a difficult time being adopted.
Maddalena said she will discuss the concerns with city
officials and try to get the program running again.
"A temporary disruption in the program has some logistical
aspects but they can be addressed," she said. "We have a
long-term commitment to Los Angeles."
Dan Laidman, (213) 978-0390
dan.laidman@dailynews.com
