Animal advocates say many pets on Los Angeles' Skid Row are neglected and abused

CBS News

29-05-2025

On Los Angeles' Skid Row, the crisis isn't just human, it's also deeply affecting the animals.
Hundreds of dogs are living in heartbreaking conditions -- neglected, abused, and forgotten. Local rescuers are begging the city for help, but so far, their pleas have gone unanswered.
The nonprofit, Starts With One Today, is based out of Los Angeles and helps homeless dogs, cats, adults and children living in Skid Row.
Local rescuers continue to ask the city for help in monitoring pets and addressing abuse and neglect on Skid Row -- but so far, they say their pleas have gone unanswered.
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Joey Tuccio, working with Starts With One Today, recently convinced the owner of a pit bull to allow him to take the dog to a veterinarian. Rocky, at five months old, tested positive for the deadly parvovirus. He may only have a few days left to live.
Video posted by the Stand Up For Pits Foundation shows pit bulls in wire crates, covered by plastic tarps, in 90-degree heat.
"There is just animal abuse happening in plain sight. And it continues to be ignored year after year after year and it makes no sense because the laws apply to everybody," Rebecca Corry, Stand Up For Pits Foundation, said. "If someone in Beverly Hills had pit bulls under a tarp baking in the sun, laying in their own feces and urine, they'd be removed and it would probably be front page news. I guess the laws only apply to certain demographics."
Advocates say this is not a rare exception and see it weekly and have been reporting abuse for years.
Victoriah Parker, with Starts With One Today, says the dogs she sees on Skid Row are usually off-leash, or cramped in crates. She said they have even rescued a few dogs that were hit by a car.
"What they also use their dogs for is to test their drugs to make sure there's not fentanyl --they're not laced. So, we have had several dogs overdose on fentanyl down here," she said.
Earlier this month, District Attorney Nathan Hochman promised to crack down on animal abuse.
"If you commit crimes against animals, we will arrest you, prosecute you, and punish you," Hochman said.
But advocates say those promises haven't made it to the streets. Tuccio said there is no enforcement. He said when police are called, there is just silence. "The police tell us to call animal control. Animal control tells us to call the police," he said.
Rocky is now in an emergency hospital, fighting for his life. Rescuers say that until the city and county enforce the laws on Skid Row, dogs will keep dying in plain sight.