Marley

We are looking for Marley at LBAC. If you have seen this adorable guy, please contact us immediately.

This Is Why We Continue to Fight For Them! Even the Ones That Aren't Ours

Fraggle is Found! But He Barely Made It...

We are overjoyed that Fraggle has been adopted. However, the story of this dog's journey to his new home after he left Noah's Ark is a travesty. This is a dog with a very difficult medical condition. It was on a vet's recommendation that he not be neutered because it could trigger an episode of epilepsy that would kill him. LBAC had such disregard for his life, that he not only was misidentifed and his life put at risk because of their negligence; his care for the last 2 months has been outrageously poor. Fraggle is full of parasites. He has such severe chemical burns on his feet that he would barely walk on his pads. We would like to credit the people at Westminister Pet Sanctuary for being tenacious about locating this dog. For her efforts, Kelli at Westminister was spammed, harassed and called an animal killer by people from Friends of Long Beach Animals, Pnina Gersten MFCC, LBAC and several other "rescues". This is deplorable. We hope Fraggle and his new family have years of joy and fun together. Please take a moment to read his story:

It was such a relief talking to you and finding out more about our little man Peter(Fraggle) . On Oct. 7th for some reason I was compelled to go to the Long Beach Animal shelter. I had been thinking about getting a buddy for our little Lola a rescue dog we obtained 2 yrs ago. We can't imagine our lives without her. On that Saturday Oct.7th as I was wandering through the kennels with a lump in my throat looking at all the sad little faces. I stopped at one kennel and saw this sweet little face pretty much asking for my help. He stuck his paws out and wrapped them around my hands. It was love at first sight. His paws were extemely discolored and looked very painful. I filled out an application for adoption and was then able to visit with him. It appeared it was painful for him to walk but he was kissing me. My daughter came to meet him and he also loved her. Next we brought in Lola and they hit it off so the adoption was complete. We were not able to take him home as they were taking him to the vet to be neutered and we were advised we could pick him up at the vet on Monday. I asked about his history and I was told he was a stray picked up in Long Beach on 9/17. Asked about his feet and know one seen to have a clue. A kind volunteer said she would stay and bathe him and would have the vet at the shelter look at his feet I stayed until the vet looked at him and she thought they may be chemical burns. Possibly the kennels had been cleaned but not rinsed out and he stood in the chemicals. I can't believe no one ever noticed his condtion. When we picked him up from The Vet on 10/9 (whichis the same vet we use for our pets) we had the doctor examine Peter's feet and she was appalled as she had never seen anything like it. She gave us some anticeptic foot wash and atibiotics. My daughter has soaked his feet twice a day and cleaned them and they are now on the mend, we can actually see his paws are white and the skin between all four paws is healing. We took him back to the vet for a check up and she agreed his paws were much better but we continue to soak them. We also mentioned that he had a seisurethe first night home. She suggested to keep an eye on him and if it happenedagain to bring him in for test. She also did a fecal test and Peter checked positive for parasites so he is taking medication for that for 13 days. On Oct 21 I received a message on my recorder from the SPCA saying the dog I had adopted was from Noah's ark and may have seisures so I should check out their website. I did just as they suggeted and sure enough this little guy we adopted was on it and they were frantic about his whereabouts due to his condtion. Why was I told he was a stray?? and nothing said about seisures?? I contacted Alex who's # was on the site and told her I had Fraggle she was over joyed!!!. She gave me the background on him and said he had been missing since 8/24. I told the story I was given about him being a stray and brought in 9/17. I also told her about his condition and apparently he wasn't in that shape when he was taken from Noah's Ark. Just by speaking with her I knew she was a special person and has a big heart for disgarded pets and ones that are not so perfect. I told her we did not care about Peter (Fraggle) having seisures we loved him uncondtionally. I almost fell for all the bad publicity given to Noah's Ark but now I am begiining to see the light!!! I'm sure if she loved and knew so much about our little guy theother homeless animals at Noah's Ark were loved the same!!! Give them back!!!Anita

Chula is Free At Last!

Chula was assisted by AMRT to a foster and hopefully a new home soon. She is a rare Peruvian Orchid who was almost feral when Noah's Ark was able to rescue her from a backyard breeder. She and her "husband" and a litter of puppies came to Noah's Ark in very bad condition. Chula is five and being forced to live on cold cement was not good for her since she is a hairless breed.

Thank you to Carol at AMRT for working to get Chula out and on her way. People who are interested in adopting Chula can contact AMRT for further information about her. Here are her first photos on the outside!

http://www.amrt.net/Orchid.htm

Fraggle Update

This is a letter sent to the Mayor, the Governator, and shared with the Rescue Community at large. It shows how difficult it has become to try to help our animals!

...I must express how discouraged we are with the mis-information we are receiving about some of the special needs (epileptic) animals seized from Noah's Ark, and currently in the care of LBAC.I called today to ask specifically about a dog in cage 717, named Fraggle, an epileptic Chi about two years old.. and was told he was there.

In fact it was not Fraggle the epileptic Chi..another Chi just put in his cage.Half an hour later, someone else calls.."No Fraggle the Epileptic is in the Animal Hospital".Call the Animal Hospital..no epileptic Chi Fraggle there either..Where is this ONE EPILEPTIC CHI that I and NOW alot of other people across the Country and WORLD want to know.

I work worldwide with people and their epileptic animals, who care for these very special animals until their dying day..EVERYONE KNOWS HIS STORY NOW and are disgusted by the fact NO ONE will give us a straight answer on his fate.Is he alive or dead? Adopted or in a cage somewhere hidden from public viewing? (people have gone in LOOKING for him!!)This may only be "one epileptic dog in a shelter" that you think NO ONE CARES about, but that is not the case.There is now international attention to this case involving Fraggle (cage number 717..epileptic supposed to be on Potassium Bromide) and there is outrage.
People will be boycotting visiting your beautiful State and continue to spread the word about Fraggle the epileptic dog, until we get answers.Here is a picture of Fraggle, Mr Mayor and Governor..maybe you can go take a peek to see if you see him there..Heaven's knows NOBODY else can seem to find out his whereabouts or his fate.Please, take the time, show you care..find out what is going on! We have gone to alot of time and trouble trying to find out the fate of this dog..can you spare a few moments to do the same?

We have dedicated our LIVES to helping epileptic dogs..why will your State and Animal Control NOT allow us to help Fraggle??

It Shouldn't Be THIS Hard to Adopt!

Here's a recounting of an encounter TODAY at Pitchford Village. You would think the mandate there would be to get animals into homes, not try to talk people out of adopting!

Well you know how we were looking at the hairless doggie? It didn’t seem like the man that was showing us the dogs really wanted to help us.

First- we showed him the dog we wanted to take out[the hairless doggie] and ...he said that he didn’t think she was up for adopting. So he went to ask... then he came back and said that she was… but she was very mean and that she has already tried to bite a few of the staff members. Then he opened her kennel door, and took out his rope and tried to catch her…. No physical contact with the dog what so ever! He just swung the rope in her face trying to get it over her head, as the dog scurries to get away. He didn’t even dare to step inside the cage!

SOO, when he finally got her… he told us over and over to be very careful...And then he took her outside on the grass….. He bent down and started to cluck to the dog, and the poor [dog] is running in circles trying to get away! He walked her like as if she was going to rip his leg off!I felt like telling him…"Maybe if you weren’t so afraid of her, she wouldn’t be so afraid of you!" So [he] finally TOLD us that we didn’t want that dog… I felt like saying, YES WE DO!

So he walked her back to her kennel, like she was a monster.Omg! While she was out, he even had the nerve to say“She doesn’t even have one speck of pretty on her” Then my mom said, "Well, I guess the beauty is in the eye of the beholder." And the man just kind of snickered. You don’t talk negative about a dog that somebody is interested in,.. Unless you don’t want them adopted out. Kind of worries me!Also he said that most of the dogs where we were[ by your babies] were vicious. Go figure!

[Let me] tell you how the man got the rope off of her head!As I said before, he didn’t dare touch her….So, when he tried to take the rope off of her, he couldn’t.He got the broom, and used the handle to get the rope off!!!! Poor dog! As afraid as she already was, now there was a broom handle in her face and poking at her neck. Stupid!It took forever for him to take the rope off. Then after he got it off, he told us that he thinks a Chihuahua rescue was coming to get her. How can I believe that? I’m sorry but it’s just hard. My mom asked him what her breed was and he said “Mexican hairless Chihuahua” then we asked, then why is she so big.. And he said because Chihuahuas come in different sizes.

...on to the next doggie. The little old Chihuahua.The same man was helping us still…. He opened the gate, and like before didn’t touch the dog, or go in the cage.He just swung the rope in his face trying to catch him. Then the poor little guy, ran and hid under the blanket. So the man gave up. He said that he was too skidish.

He really helped us out ,huh!?

Help Us Find Fraggle

We were contacted by someone who had heard about Fraggle and wanted our sweet dog to have a wonderful home and life. She was unable to locate Fraggle at Pitchford Village. Please see if you can help us find Fraggle. There is a wonderful home and cushy life waiting for this very sweet animal.

Committe Members Visit Pitchford Village

On Saturday, committee members visited the animals at Pitchford Village. Only 4 NA animals are on the SPCA side for adoption. The visit caused quite a stir among the LBAC staff and the group was monitored very closely.

The visit brought up several pressing concerns: there are not enough pets at Pitchford to account for all the animals seized. Lt. Elliott could not disclose if there was an off site facility, but simply said all the animals at Pitchford were available for adoption. One relief is that Rocky was moved in with the stray cats out of the cold. He continues to have severe diarhea and is covered in poop. His indoor pen is quite small, but at least it is a little warmer. Anyone who can visit Rocky daily is encouraged to do so. You can see by the photos here and we can affirm for you, his health is declining rapidly. He needs to get out!!

Old Man is of great concern, he is said to be at Los Alamitos VCA for prostate problems. Old Man is a large hound whom we have not seen since August 23rd. There is a home waiting for him on a huge ranch. If you have time to call Los Alamitos VCA and ask about his condition, feel free to do so. We are nervous that this will be used as an excuse to kill him.

Our biggest concern was all the pets we did not see. All of the cats we didn't see. There are other animals being housed in the same "stray dogs" section with NA animals -- please don't be fooled into thinking that there are more animals there than are truly ours. Our dogs are in the 500 and 700 building. You have to really walk around to get to those housed in the far back. Others are in two sections that are chained off. We were reprimanded for going too close to the chain.

During the initial seizure, only 2 animals were reported to have been euthanized. Mr. Moore recently said that another 5 had died on their own. If these animals were in such poor condition, why are they just now being taken to the animal hospitals in the area to be given care. LBAC has had these animals in their care since August 23.

We are also concerned about the state of these animals care. There is poop and pee everywhere -- yes, it really does take a lot of work to take care of all those pets -- Noah's Ark volunteers did it EVERY day! This was during open business hours....imagine what the facility must look like when people arrive in the morning...about like Noah's Ark during the raid, maybe? Many of the animals are in total fear but gladly came to see us when they realized who was there to visit. We saw paws with extraordinarily long nails, we saw matts, we saw older animals who were cold since they live on cement flooring and stainless steel platforms. These are all conditions LBAC used to seized these animals. After so long with LBAC you would think they would be in better shape if the situation was really as LBAC said it was.

Please find the time to visit these animals, they need to know that they are important and loved...that they are not abandoned. Please encourage Wesley Moore to accept help from rescues and others who live out of state and want to adopt these animals. At the very least, the animals photos should be up online so that people can see them. Can we not work with other agencies to ensure that these pets can have homes that want them...even if they don't live in a 20 mile radius of Long Beach?! From a conversation with Lt. Elliott, it appears that Madeline Bernstein, President of the SPCALA is in charge of all the animals who will get out. Please contact Madeline at the SPCA (as we will be doing) to encourage her to let rescues come in NOW for the animals. Ask her to let out of state adopters have some leeway so that these animals can get out and on their way to homes. Of note -- we find it odd that Mr. Moore is being told what to do by Ms. Bernstein if the situation is really as Lt. Elliott has reported it to be.

We will post a list of the animals we have not seen shortly. You can join us in finding out, "WHERE are our pets?!"

Having One Eye is Not a Crime

No one is supermodel perfect! These two dogs are blind in one eye which makes them a bit more protective of their space. Karma is a beautiful chow, Willie is an adorable Chi-mix. Some people have been told they are aggressive and unadoptable. Please ask the shelter to reconsider. Both are adorable. Willie doesn't like men though, but he will run and jump into a woman he loves' arms! Karma loves a good snuggle but hates to be caged -- Karma gives wonderful chow kisses. Wouldn't that be nice to come home to everyday?

This is Money

Money is a delightful dalmation. He needs exercise, but hey we could all stand to use a few pounds - right? What better way than with a wonderful companion like Money. We are concerned because people have been told he is aggressive and unadoptable. He is sweet as the day is long. He walked out of Noah's Ark wagging his tail for the TV cameras. Give him a reason to wag his tail again!

Please Adopt!

If you have EVER thought about bringing an animal companion into your life, please consider doing so NOW. The animals from Noah's Ark are all wonderful, loving pets waiting to share their lives with you. The cats are wonderful feline friends. Our dogs, when they left our care, were sweet and easy-going.

We are particularly concerned about some pictures we recently received.

This is Fraggle. Fraggle has epilepsy brought on by stress. Fraggle is deathly afraid of men because he was abused severely by one; so, stressful men can bring on seizures. LBAC does not choose to recognize his condition. If you are able to adopt him, please consider giving this gentle dog a dignified end of life.

Dear Mayor Foster...

Long Beach always looks like a fun place to visit...on the postcards. With a high kill shelter that was promised two years ago to be a no-kill shelter and the roll back of a breeding ban -- animal lovers across the country should consider boycotting this city.

If you live locally,
let the Mayor, City Council members and Chamber of Commerce know that you intend to take your shopping dollars (and local sales tax revenue) elsewhere. Nearby communities offer all the same amenities you'll find in Long Beach. It may be a little out of your way, but those fuzzyfaces are worth it!
The Mayor and All Other Council People Listings Page
http://www.longbeach.gov/mayor/default.asp
Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce
1 World Trade Ctr # 206, Long Beach, CA 90831(562) 436-1251
longbeachadvocacy.biz

If you live locally,
let the Press Telegram and Long Beach Report know what you plan to do. Email Justin Rudd and his Haute Dog newsletters to let other local pet owners know what you're doing.
The Press Telegram
(562) 499-1285Rich Archbold, Executive Editorrich.archbold@presstelegram.com
(562) 499-1280John Futch, Managing Editormailto:Editorjfutchpt@aol.com
The Long Beach Report
mail@LBReport.com
Justin Rudd, Haute Dog Newsletter (6,000 pet owners)
justinrudd@aol.com <justinrudd@aol.com>

If you live further away,
let the City Council and The Mayor know that you don't intend to visit Long Beach if this case is demonstrative of how they treat animals in Long Beach. Let them know that you do not intend to ever recommend Long Beach as a destination to anyone. Let the Chamber of Commerce know that you will look for companies that manufactur or are headquartered out of Long Beach and you will not buy their products.

If you live in California,
contact Senator Alan Lowenthal's Office:
State Capitol, Room 3048, Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4027 phone or (916) 327-9113 fax
or his Long Beach Field Office:
115 Pine Ave, Suite 430, Long Beach, CA 90802, (562) 495-4766phone or (562) 495-1876 fax
lowenthal@sen.ca.gov <lowenthal@sen.ca.gov>
Ask them to step in proactively and demand that Long Beach Animal Control be called to account for all the animals -- not just vague numbers...a numbered list of all the animals with their impound numbers, microchip numbers, and current condition.

If you live in California,
email the CA Animal Control Director's Association and ask them have Wesley Moore account for the current state of affairs for the animals. info@cacda.org. Tell them you want an accounting back from them. You pay their salary through your tax dollars.

More Photos From the Inside

This is photo of Rocky taken this past week. Note he is covered in feces. Rocky has a registered owner who is being denied her animal. Instead he is forced to live in these conditions, ignored and cold. Rocky is very old and has poor eyesight. This is hardly the conditions he should be living in at a multi-million dollar facility with full-time paid staff to attend to his needs. At Noah's Ark, a 501C-3 with a mostly volunteer staff, Rocky was never left in this kind of deplorable state!

Rocky went to a smaller but warmer cage with the stray cats and then was pulled by a rescue group. A family had been set to adopt Rocky. We hope the rescue group will contact us so we can connect Rocky with a great home and get him out of foster care --- making room for another dog to get a chance at life.

Administrative Hearing Today

An administrative hearing was scheduled today. We were told it would simply be to review revoking Noah's Ark/Alex's business license. This is something of a kangaroo court since it is simply held in the basement of City Hall and presided over by an attorney and not a judge.

Alex chose to attend this hearing (although the outcome was a foregone conclusion) because she wanted to ensure that key elements did not end up in public record unchallenged -- such as the lie that LBAC/LBPD were given permission to enter the location (they were not, they entered without a search warrant.)

Apparently, LBAC and the Deputy City Attorney had planned to "try" the whole case to be presented by the city at this administrative hearing! This was not what Alex or Noah's Ark were notified that this hearing would review.

However, Alex was given the opportunity to question Lt. Quigley under oath. The transcripts of this hearing will clearly show ON THE RECORD that LBAC has been untruthful, that they have been inside the facility, that Officer Estrada was there just 10 days before and saw nothing that needed to be cited, and that Lt. Quigley knew that Alex had stepped down as Executive Director.

Since Alex was representing herself at this hearing (she didn't think she'd need an attorney to hear a case on revoking her business license), the Deputy City Attorney was required to give her much of the paperwork that Noah's Ark Justice Committee, Councilman De Long and the Mayor's office have been requesting. Ms. Meyers was not thrilled.

Currently, we are reviewing the "inventory" list and can already see that animals are missing or crossed out. We'll be getting answers as to what this means, but we are pretty sure we know already.

Please take a moment to send thoughts and love to Apple, the 3 year old Maltese who was incontinent but was just fine in a diaper. Apple has been lined out. Our adorable pocket pit bull is also lined out. There are many more in the list. There are also animals no one has seen in their visits -- Old Man aka Johnny Walker, the 10-ish Tick Hound...no one has seen him since the raid. It was a heartbreaking day on this front.

On a happier note, we were contacted by two happy new pet parents. Two of our older pets now have homes! No one has seen the cats. But we hope we are wrong and that we'll begin getting reports that they have been adopted too.

Conditions at the shelter are abyssmal for these pets. If you can afford the time and have the space in your home and heart, please help us retrieve these sweet animals from the shelter and get them to new homes.

Even the Mayor Can't Get a Real List

In an astounding move, the Mayor and Councilman DeLong's office received an "inventory" finally from LBAC and the City Attorney after days of stalling. What is astounding is that it is simply the seizure list that was given to Noah's Ark 's animals' attorney more than three weeks ago, replete with errors and redacted/whited-out lines. Ms. Myers, the deputy city attorney, had attached it to the release forms for all the animals. On the list was a dog known to be dead and animals that Noah's Ark never had in their care.

This is not a current inventory of Noah's Ark's "property." This is not a useful document. 12 dogs are missing from this sequentially numbered list; lines are just simply missing in the report. The Committee only knows of 2 animals that were euthanized, 2 that "died on their own", and 4 that were released from the information provided by Wesley Moore. One animal euthanized was a cat, but none of the sequential lines in the seizure list for a cat has been whited out.

LBAC still has not published the photos or impound numbers of the animals in it's possession. In the last five weeks, they just haven't had time.

LBAC continues to play games with the Mayor's office. Mr. Moore says all the animals are available, yet even today people were denied animals at LBAC and SPCLA.

Here's our prediction -- in about 2 weeks when you all have stopped paying attention to this case, animals will be deemed "unadoptable" and will HAVE to be put down because they just can't continue to house them. But no rescues will be allowed to claim the animals (this is in violation of California State Law) and they'll just start shipping bodies off to the rendering plant so your can feed them to your pets as by-products in kibble.

We continue to ask -- WHY DO THEY WANT TO KILL THESE ANIMALS? WHY ARE THEY FIGHTING EVERY ATTEMPT TO SET THEM FREE OR ADOPT THEM OUT?

Where Have The Animals Gone?

Many of the animals from Noah's Ark have not been seen in 5 weeks.

Buffy the pit bull mix seen on the news being dragged from Noah's Ark has not been seen since the cameras stopped rolling. LBAC now claims they never had Buffy. No one has seen Buffy since the "raid."

Mimsy, a thirteen year old poodle with a leg that's a little long, has not been seen either.

Apple, a three year old maltese, who wears a diaper has disappeared from view.

Lt. Quigley has said all of the animals are on-site at LBAC/SPCLA. Why has no one seen these animals?

Remember, Long Beach Animal Control had a kill rate of over 80% last year according to figures from the District Attorney. Their kill for cats is especially high. Few of the cats have been seen.

Wesley Moore and Lt. Quigley assure the public that NO animals will be euthanized. Does this extend beyond the typical 7 day period animals are given to be adopted? We doubt it. Many of these animals will be or have already been killed. Mr. Moore continues to assure the Mayor's office that all of the animals are there; and yet, the only accounting of the animals is the original seizure list with 12 listing missing in the sequentially numbered list. Why won't LBAC allow someone to do a walk through and check out the animals? Because they don't want you to know their dirty little secret!

Million Dollar Facility Leaves Dogs Covered in Feces

Your $100/day/animal impound fee is paying for Rocky to sit in his own feces and urine at Long Beach Animal Control. The so-called deplorable conditions at Noah's Ark are hardly comparable to the cold cement floors, stainless steel beds and unsanitary conditions that our animals continue to live in.

Large animals like our dalmation are being forced to live in cells that are far too small for their size with no dog run available to them.

These animals are sinking into depression because they do not receive the attention once showered on them daily at Noah's Ark. As any rescue worker will tell you, animals who become depressed at the shelter become prone to illness. The cold, cramped conditions they are forced to live in only compounds the situation.

These are your tax dollars at work!

Dr. Saleh Is Not Pleased!

Dr. Saleh has called reporter Wendy Russell and voiced his displeasure at her misrepresentation of his declaration. Additionally, Dr. Saleh has filed the following letter with Ms. Russell's boss, Rich Archebald, the editor of the Long Beach Press Telegram. Dr. Saleh has always maintained an objective, professional relationship with Noah's Ark and continues to say that he would gladly allow us to care for his own animals.

This is the Letter That LBAC Doesn't Want You to Know About

Following is the letter that Alex sent on August 11. As you can well imagine, she never imagined they would stoop to such depths.

Sent: Friday, August 11, 2006 8:53 AM
To: 'wemoore@longbeach.com'Cc: 'mayor@ci.long-beach.ca.us'; 'cityattorney@ci.long-beach.ca.us'; 'editor@gazettes.com'Subject: long beach animal control - out of control?
Mr. Moore
Director
Long beach animal control
First off I would like to let you know that I have forwarded this to my fellow DAW members, as well as the many others that are working to a better solution to the world of animal welfare – which includes working with our local shelters- in addition I will be forwarding this to any city, county and state agency needed, as well as the local papers.

What has happened to day is the last straw in a long list of unacceptable actions that LBAC has been involved in. I was hoping that at this point we would have, after many years of disagreement come to an understanding.
The reputation of long beach animal control has long been one of aggression and fear tactics, that have frankly frightened many of the citizens that these officers work for – during the years that I have run Noah’s ark animal rescue I cannot tell you how many of these such horror stories I have heard from many of the local residents-
We have heard of the threats and harassment that the city employees- that are under your direction have engaged in- how they fear LBAC.
I have just received such a call this evening and it is 9 pm.
The citizens should not have to fear their employees
Having experienced several incidents first hand I do know of this aggressive and threatening behavior – but I was under the impression that it was your interest to change all that as well as the image of LBAC.
It was for the good of Noah’s ark that I stepped aside so that animal controls personal attacks to me could no longer be directed to this wonder rescue that for one reason or another everyone has appreciated this rescue and its efforts but the very city it helps can not see. – (I only volunteer on occasion with fundraisings etc...)
If this rescue had anything to hide the hundreds of volunteers that have come through surly would have come forward with a complaint – the local girl scouts, the ROP students that have now been coming for almost two years – the CSU community service committee – the school programs for community service – the list goes on.

This is a rescue that has been featured twice recently on the morning news – the breathtaking mural alone has made the news – they will be featured on the Hollywood dog magazine due out the 20th of this month – the thousands of letter of thanks and appreciation still cannot get your office to stop their attacks.
But that is another story –
Lately as my position has changed -my attention is now drawn to the many complaints that I get from concerned citizens – some I have mentioned to LT Quigley and others I have just taken notes on as I sort through, what seems to be serious concerns and what is just an angry person lashing out – and I am now working on a signed grievance by the many complaints that has been brought to our attention (you would be surprised how many signatures we have- one complaint from an editor of a major paper in another city- who has happily adopted from Noah’s ark.)
But today I was contacted by the folks at Noah’s ark as they were again being harassed by your officers –
I was hoping that would stop with my departure but since this is an organization that is near and dear to me and one of which I know first hand has been harassed in the past -they clearly knew that I would take action.
Your officer Estrada came to the rescue aggressively and with a very unprofessional attitude – this was confirmed to me by several witnesses – now I know that many of your officers are wonderful animal lovers and several do have issues – and if I remember, Estrada was one of those with attitude issues- because if memory serves I made a complaint to you about his slanderous remarks on his encounters with the public about Noah’s Ark.
But on this occasion this man was out of control
He demanded that a falcon that was found and brought to this rescue be immediately relinquished – his manor was that of a man accusing these good folks of stealing, when all they did was try their best to help what they felt was an injured pet – that is what they do – they contacted the proper authorities, learned of what food was to be fed and had made arrangements to have this bird transferred to the wild life weigh station on Friday. That was not immediate enough to Mr Estrada and even with the reassurance from rescue that was working along with them to make this transport happen- your officer still verbally dehumanized these folks – (who are all volunteers unlike your paid officer) and there out of love for these animals.
No one argued with him about taking the bird as long as it was going to be rescued they didn’t care who did it – so they handed the bird over to him.
That was not enough- your officer demanded that he ‘walk’ the premises – when informed that the dogs were out for their daily play time he ignored them and went to the main doorway ( now he could look around mind you with out opening the door because there are half doors as many of your officers can attest to and he did look inside causing them to bark at a stranger and even remarked “why are the lights off” – the volunteer replied “to make it calmer and cooler for the babies”
He ignored her and reached for the door when Gloria a very small 100 lbs female stood in front of the door and advised him that the dogs were loose and that he would cause havoc and may even get bitten- your aggressive officer pushed her aside (this was witnessed by several there including her 13 year old child) and opened the door anyway saying that “the dogs were already barking” and that there were a lot more issues then just the bird.
Now this rescue has had many recent visits and one of them a complaint was made to LT Quigley about – the fact the 3 trucks were needed to pick up one small feral cat did seem excessive- how ever LT Quigley kindly informed me that it was a training issue – not meant to make Noah’s ark look bad) but all of the investigations or allegations came back cleared –
But this man clearly had an agenda.
Of course when opening the door one of the dogs scared, lunged and tried to bite him – terrified -he slammed the door on this poor dogs face causing him to yelp in pain!
This is unacceptable!!!
No one has the right to touch another person or because any pet to yelp in pain – many of the pets have been traumatized as it is -how dare your employee add to their fear.
After trying to gain his composure he smirked to another volunteer “I guess you have a problem with animal control to “
This is an example of why folks are terrified of LBAC and with fear comes hate.
In this one moment your officer showed a child just how evil LBAC is and how terrible the system is.
This could have been avoided had he heeded the warning from the volunteers there.
I am shocked that after all the complaints that are made about your officers and the horrible reputation that the LBAC has and the Nazi like attitude many clearly display – these types are still are allowed to continue working with animals or humans for that matter – this concerns me as well as the many that I will be addressing this to.
I know I have personally seen an officer drag a young jindo while one your new premises and when asked about the availability of that tiny scared pup was told “this one is going down – didn’t you see her try and bite me”
What I saw was a scared little girl – maybe your officers need to start seeing that as well.
Whether this man felt that the bird should be else where, gave him no right to harass, touch or injure another person or pet.
I along with all that will be reading this want to know what you plan on doing about this –
Sincerely,
Alexiea Kyrklund

A Note from A Rescuer

They[the animals] will be available tomorrow from the LBSPCA..in the same building..they
are open from 10:00A.M. 4:30 P.M....Rescues who have had a relationship with
them in the past are being accepted. Also if 501C3 paperwork is brought to the
SPCA..they will check that rescue out. But that will take more time
...and the rescue may not be able to happen at that moment. If you
are a private adopter..you must have a signed letter from landlord allowing
ownership of the dog. If you own your own house..that's okay. $125.00 for every
dog...rescue or non-rescue. PLease call the SPCA before you
go.562-570-7722

We have also been told that rescues can only take animals on the euthanasia list. However Wesley Moore has stated that none of the animals will be euthanized. Rather begs the question...but if you get any answers please share them with us too!

200 Available for Adoption...What Happened to the Other 90?

TV News is reporting that 200 animals are being released for adoption today. Our question is what happened to the other 90. Two days ago, Wesley Moore was reported to have said that 8 animals had passed away in their care or been released. 2 were euthanized, 2 died on the their own (we'd like some details on this please!), and 4 were released.

You do the math. We're a bit concerned, aren't you? Make a call and ask where the other 90 are!

LB Press Telegram Falls for the Spin -- AGAIN

Reporter Wendy Thomas spent a good block of time on the phone with us yesterday. While we worked to address many of the questions and challenges she had, she ultimately reported the same old version of the story from the City. http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_4443534

Please feel free to phone Wendy (her email and phone are listed at the bottom of the article) and voice your concern about reporting misinformation. (There are nice photos of the vigil though!!!)

Especially fetching was the notion from Lt. Quigley that the animals are being released today because they are finally healthy enough. In truth, the animals are being released today because LBAC has driven the impound fees to over $100,000 and since Noah's Ark cannot pay this fee, the animals are now considered "abandoned property" which the city can now dispose of as they deem fit. (We all know what that means!)

The document Gary DeLong's office is demanding on our behalf gives us a full "inventory" of our "property" and requires that no animal be euthanized UNLESS an animal is suffering needlessly in which case a third party vet who has worked with Noah's Ark must be consulted, see the animal and be given final say. Of course the City Attorney and LBAC have not produced this document yet!

By the way, the impound fees are considered the cost of housing and caring for the animals -- $100/day/animal. Wouldn't every dog and cat boarding facility love to charge that?! Shouldn't these animals be being kept in the lap of luxury? You can see from the photos in a post below taken just last week -- this is not a lap of luxury facility. It could be....but as it is being run -- it is far from it!

Please consider a donation to the animal's defense fund. We continue to defend the right every last one of them has to life. If you can adopt an animal today, please do so. And let us know that you were able to save one of our dear animals! We will need to account for all of them since some have been disappeared already!

If you are denied -- please notify us of this as well and notify the press telegram. This is especially true if you are a rescue 501 C-3 -- as the Hayden Law says you must be able to have animals released to you.

Update From Councilman DeLong's Office

At 10:00 AM Councilman DeLong's office called to let us know they were furious that LBAC and the City Attorney's Office has not delivered the document that was to be on the Councilman's desk first thing morning. We doubt the Mayor has anything he requested either. To put it gently, the Councilman is NOT happy.

If you've got a minute or two, feel free to contact Long Beach's Animal Control officials to demand why they have not delivered the documents.

I welcomed Councilman DeLong's office to the world of dealing with the City Attorney and LBAC!

Mayor Bob Foster Phone 562 570-6801 mayor@longbeach.gov
Lt.Michelle Quigley, LBACmichelle_quigley@longbeach.gov
Wesley Moore, officer, Long Beach Animal Controlwesley_moore@longbeach.gov
City Attorney Robert E. Shannoncityattorney@longbeach.gov
Ronald Arias, Director of Health and Human Services, (the department which oversees LB AnimalControl) ronald_arias@longbeach.gov.

Photos from the Inside of LBAC

Here is an account from someone who recently visited the animals and was able to snap some photos --

after going to long beach and seeing how the animals are being
housed and neglected,

i realize that everything they were acusing you of, is now
what they are doing themselves......quite hypocritical....

animals in tiny cages,
too small for them, feces everywhere, vomit......

we tried taking pics, but some
of that stuff didnt show up in the pics.....some of them didn't come out......the dogs have no blankets, or towels or
anything to sleep on. i was horrified....that tiny little blond pom with
arthritis and one blind eye is sleeping on a cold surface.......there are
approximately 15 dogs that we saw that are in tiny cages, not runs but cages,
which means that they sleep and defficate and eat all in the same place.Tiny tim
is in one of these cages, which shows the size of it......also, there is a pit
bull in one of these cages...i've enclosed 4 pictures for you to see......

Lt. Quigley Denies Releases

Today 5 people arrived at LBAC with proper paperwork from Jim Blancarte, Noah's Ark's animal's Attorney with power of attorney for release of "property", to release the animals named to them. Lt Quigley denied them the animals. We believe this is in clear violation of the Hayden Law.

We continue to await the document that provides assurance made by Councilman DeLong and Mayor Foster at the Tuesday's City Council meeting. They have also agreed to provide us with a full "inventory" or our "property." The councilman's staff was unable to get the necessary documents from City Attorney Shannon's office and from Animal Control. If you have a moment, please contact Mayor Foster's office at Tel: (562) 570-6801 Fax: (562) 570-6538 or e-mail: mayor@longbeach.gov and ask him to put pressure on the City Attorney and Animal Control to have an ironclad document of protection for the animals being held in the seizure and raid at Noah's Ark by Thursday.

Please Be With Us Tonight

Whether you can attend the candlelight vigil tonight in person or in spirit, please do take a moment of quiet to reflect on our dear animals.

We have been assured that we will have a document in-hand tomorrow morning that assures that all 290 will be kept alive. If any animal is deemed too sick to recover we have been assured that a 3rd party, independent vet who works with Noah's Ark will make that decision. And, we have the assurance that the document will ensure that any certified rescue not affiliated with Noah's Ark will be able to pull animals from LBAC. We will also be provided with a full "inventory" of who is still at LBAC. Animals are available for adoption beginning tomorrow.

Additionally, we have been contacted by a reporter at the Long Beach Press Telegram about the case. We hope the reporter will investigate the story fully. We were once again asked to publish photos we have from the "raid" and the subsequent seizure; but, on advice of our multiple legal counsels were advised that this was not permissable. We will abide by this recommendation to ensure that our upcoming court cases are as strong as possible and can in no way be compromised.

We would like to acknowledge Councilman Gary DeLong's unflagging support in the effort to guarantee the safety of Noah's Ark's animals. Ed Boks of LAAS has also dedicated a significant amount of time today to lobbying the City of Long Beach and providing legal documents that could be used. Senator Alan Lowenthal's office has continued to provide their support and ask thorny questions on our behalf. And Jennifer Pryor has again provided the funds through Pryor's Planet to engage the services of Attorney Jim Blancarte; her on-going support has been far more generous than we could have ever hoped for! And to the rescue community and all the concerned "average citizens" -- your time and your support (and your efforts to adopt many of our pets) can never be truly repaid. To have so many people around the world join us in this fight has been astounding. We cannot thank you enough.

So, join us tonight at 6:30 pm NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE and add your good wishes for our dear animals who perservere in spite of this terrible situation. What a blessing they continue to be in our lives!

Thank You to Mayor Foster, Councilwoman Richardson and Councilman DeLong

After a six hour wait at the Long Beach City Council meeting on Tuesday night, Noah's Ark Animal Justice supporters were able to speak to the city council during public comment. Although the Mayor and Council were exhausted from a full evening's docket, they sat patiently listening to the testimony of our speakers.

Mayor Foster and Councilpeople DeLong and Richardson encouraged the City Attorney to let the Noah's Ark animals be exempt from the typical protocols enforced by LBAC and SPCA. Councilwoman Richardson asked that Noah's Ark animals be granted a longer adoption time than is typical at the shelter; and, Mayor Foster and Councilman DeLong asked that an agreement be reached to guarantee that none of the 290 animals be euthanized (baring extreme suffering.)

On Wednesday, Noah's Ark Animal Justice Committee will work with Councilman DeLong's office to reach a workable agreement. On Thursday, the animals will become the property of the city and NAAJC /Councilman DeLong are working to ensure that the animals are protected.

The ipetition many of you signed was presented to the Mayor and will be scanned into the City's minutes of the meeting. They will be held there for public record.

We will still hold our candlelight vigil tomorrow evening at 6:30 PM -- we hope it will turn into a celebration for these patient, wonderful animals and for the city council stepping up to do the right thing. Please consider donating to the animal's legal defense fund, sadly we have had to spend thousands of dollars to finally get to this point. If you have room in your heart and in your home and can adopt an older or special needs pet, please consider adopting one of the many dogs and cats being held at LBAC.

As always, we are grateful for your on-going interest and support. We hope this will become a great day in the history of rescue.

Know Where Your Money Goes

Please note that if you make a donation on the petition page you will be donating to ipetition and not to Noah's Ark Animal's Defense Fund. If you want to donate to the animals, please do so via paypal (www.noahsarkanimalrescue.com) and add your comments that your donation is for the this specific legal defense.
Thanks for making a donation!

Please Join Us Wednesday Evening

Wednesday, October 4th, we will hold a candlelight vigil at Long Beach Animal Control beginning at 6:30 pm.

We are holding a vigil on the 4th because as of Thursday morning, October 5th LBAC will deem the animals they seized from Noah's Ark as abandoned. This means they will be free to begin euthanizing any of the pets they deem to be unadoptable. Many of the animals seized had been on LBAC's list to be put down prior to Noah's Ark rescuing them.

Join us 7700 Spring Street in Long Beach 90808 at 6:30 pm.

This is a peaceful demonstration!

The media has been invited as well. Please feel free to contact your local media sources to encourage them to cover the event.

Thank you for your on-going support of these animals that were needlessly and erronously seized from Noah's Ark. Thank you in advance for attending! Dress warmly! :)

"Adoptable" Animals Released to the Public

After Thursday, October 5 the city of Long Beach will consider the animals abandoned by Noah's Ark and begin doing with them as they will. We are not worried about the kittens and puppies getting adopted. But we are worried about the older animals and the animals that have physical challenges. Anyone who is not "affiliated" with Noah's Ark can go in and adopt an animal. We need everyone to spread the word and get your names on the animals prior to Tuesday.

Now is your chance to help out one of these innocent creatures. You can visit the web site (http://www.noahsarkanimalrescue.com/) to see who was there. You can also email us for more information at info@noahsarkanimalrescue.com about who's who and help us coordinate getting them all out. We especially need the kitties not to be forgotten.