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Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Dogs Are Dying On Skid Row and City Officials Are Letting It Happen, Animal Activist Says
Dogs Are Dying On Skid Row and City Officials Are Letting It Happen, Animal Activist Says originally appeared on L.A. Mag. City officials are being accused by a prominent animal rights activist of ignoring horrifying abuses being inflicted on Skid Row dogs that include being injected with drugs by addicts, caged under heavy tarps in sweltering temperatures, beaten, stabbed and even sexually attacked. Rebecca Corry, the nationally recognized founder of Stand Up For Pits Foundation, said her pleas with the Los Angeles Police Department, Mayor Karen Bass and Animal Services, to do something about pain being inflicted on dogs on Skid Row have gone unanswered even after the body of a woman was found in a homeless encampment where her remains were being eaten by dogs."The rage I have, the sadness is unbelievable. We have seen Skid Row rampant with dog abuse, but the City of Los Angeles has done nothing. Mayor Bass, stop ignoring us," Corry told Los Angeles in a passionate interview. Her foundation also posted a video containing a number of the allegations she says are being ignored by officials. The city's budget could cut $4.8 million from the Animal Services department. Bass's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Social media is ablaze with videos of some of the ongoing dog abuse, but there is no enforcement or police response whatsover Corry says, even after she bombards the LA Animal Services Department and the North Central Animal Shelter, which services the areas being reported, with calls for help. The city dismantled its animal cruelty task force in 2021, making it even harder to stop the horrendous mistreatment of dogs in plain view amid the poverty and despair that stretches over the 54 blocks that comprises Skid Row. Corry also had harsh words for Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who has vowed to make the pursuit of animal cruelty cases a key initiative for his office. "He promised the public he would do more to protect animals, and no one is going to Skid Row and doing anyone," Corry said. Hochman's office said that it remains "firmly committed to the aggressive prosecution of animal cruelty," and points to the 25 animal cruelty cases currently being prosecuted. Among the most egregious cases include: a Los Angeles man is charged with drugging and killing a female bulldog in April; a man in Hollywood is charged with tossing a terrier to its death from a fourth-floor balcony; and in Sante Fe Springs another man is charged with stabbing a German Shepherd with a sickle. "It is important to understand that under the law, law enforcement agencies are the first to investigate these crimes," Hochman's office said in a statement. "A case must be presented to our office for legal review and consideration before we can act. That is the required legal procedure, and we follow it diligently. Animal cruelty is a serious crime, and this office will continue to treat it as such." Corry insists that she called the LAPD and Animal Services about the dogs caged under a tarp and no one responded. "These dogs could die out there. Why don't we care? Empty promises are no longer going to be tolerated by the animal welfare community." This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
CBS News
29-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Animal advocates say many pets on Los Angeles' Skid Row are neglected and abused
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. KCAL News 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.
