When local community members in Bakersfield, California called the authorities to report a foul smell coming from three homes housing an animal kennel business, they had no idea what to expect. But when animal control and the police department arrived at the houses in question, they found a devastating scene.
Eleven dogs were dead and 29 others were suffering from neglect. Luckily, the majority of the dogs at the boarding facilities survived and authorities returned many to their original owners, thanks to microchips. It turns out, the woman's boarding and training business wasn't even licensed - which made it illegal.
But Bakersfield can never allow this kind of a tragedy to happen again - and that means implementing better monitoring and protocols for illegal kennel operations.Sign now to demand Bakersville authorities develop protocols for finding illegal kennel operations so that no more dogs have to suffer! When authorities found the poor animals, they quickly identified that there was no remaining food or water, and clearly the dogs were not receiving proper veterinary care. One police officer noted that there were visible "signs of neglect."
One of the buildings even appeared to be abandoned. This scenario is absolutely tragic - and not a single other animal should have to suffer this way. Each of these animals had original homes and likely loving families, and this business owner clearly took advantage of them.
What is most heartbreaking about this specific case of animal abuse and neglect is that this woman actually managed to convince so many unassuming pet owners that her kennel operation was normal and licensed, and that their animals would be safe staying there.
There must be better protocols put in place to flag these types of businesses to authorities before tragedies like this strike. Certainly, in order to attract clients, this person must have been advertising in some capacity - either online, on social media, or by word of mouth. In the future, we must guarantee that the proper authorities can pick up on the clear warning signs that an unlicensed boarding operation was taking place.
Sign the petition now to tell Bakersfield Police and Bakersfield Animal Control that we cannot wait any longer: they must put protocols in place to better identify illegal kennel operations!