This is so horrifying that it hard for me to read it. Ed, I know you are not saying this, but the implication here, that if someone is unhoused that we cannot expect them to treat animals humanely, is patronizing and ridiculous. An unhoused person may have a little to no food to give to their pup, but that doesn't explain or justify brutalizing them. I am so tired of hearing people make excuses for the cruelty of so many humans. Let's not deprive them of agency, they still make choices
Thank you, Jan. I really appreciate your thoughtful response. You're absolutely right—poverty and homelessness never excuse cruelty. Many unhoused individuals show deep love and compassion for their animals, even under the harshest conditions. This piece was meant to shine a light on systemic failures, not diminish anyone’s agency or accountability. Thank you for helping keep that distinction clear.
Ed thanks for clarifying that - yes you're talking about a systemic problem. And I would imagine that many unhoused people treat their companion animals with as much love and care as they can muster given their circumstances
I don't doubt the suffering of the animals on skid row. But the generated image with a caption saying"Two emaciated strays navigate Skid Row—alone, starving, and abandoned by the City of Angels." is frankly, offensive and deceptive. At least notify readers you are using AI to create graphics, or get an actual photo of the plight of these animals in need.
Thank you, Davyd. I appreciate your thoughtful feedback. You're absolutely right—it’s important to be transparent. The image was AI-generated to illustrate the conditions described in the piece, not to mislead. I’ve updated the post to reflect that. The suffering is real, and I hope we can keep the focus on the urgent need for action.
I get really tired of our city’s most vulnerable being constantly demonized. It’s like people think it’s okay for a person to wither away under the hot sun on skid row, but not the pets. I disagree with the idea that the wealthy would not be allowed to engage in such behavior. It’s a lot harder to track what goes on behind closed doors and we hear of people breeding, selling, and dumping dogs all day long. Not to mention their need to purchase pure bred or “popular” dogs which only exacerbates this crisis. You notice that every breed that becomes fashionable tends to populate the shelters? The difference is that it’s easy to see on skid row. You make a great point about the fancy cars. Anyone who has ever worked down there will tell you that a lot of people hanging out are simply there to exploit the homeless. While I agree that animal control should immediately act when there’s an animal in distress, so should our leaders when humans are in distress. The situation on skid row is a reflection of what is going on throughout the county, the surrounding counties, and likely the entire country. The fact that we have a skid row shows the moral collapse of us all. Human and animal suffering is a policy choice.
Also, I was a special education teacher for 25 years. I have a lot of sympathy for homeless people as I know no one chooses to be mentally ill or intellectually challenged. However, when people abuse animals, I have no sympathy for them. The city should step up its enforcement and help animals that are being abused and neglected.
Thank you for this follow-up, Suzanne. Your compassion and clarity are powerful. You’re absolutely right: empathy for human hardship should never mean turning a blind eye to animal suffering. Enforcement and care can—and must—go hand in hand.
Only cheap "pure bred" dogs end up populating shelters. The majority of the pure bred dogs are huskies, German shepherds, pit bulls, Chihuahuas and pugs. Poor people are more likely to not be able to afford to keep their dogs, get evicted, or become couch surfers than rich people. Someone who drops 2K on a bernadoodle, or some other ridiculous dog is less likely to dump it. The dog rescues that only rescue pure bred dogs usually don't have a large inventory. I volunteered for a dog rescue for five years. We used to get Shi-tzus when old ladies died. We got two mini-huskies, one Wheaton terrier, three Yorkie puppies, and one black cocker Spaniel. Otherwise, all mutts.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Suzanne. Your perspective adds important nuance to the conversation. Breed trends in shelters often reflect broader economic and social dynamics, and your observations from rescue help ground that in reality. Appreciate you being part of the dialogue.
Thank you, Jacqueline. Your comment powerfully captures the broader truth—Skid Row reflects systemic failures that affect both people and animals. The suffering we see there isn’t isolated, and you're right to call out the exploitation and double standards that persist across all levels of society. I deeply appreciate your thoughtful insight and agree: compassion and accountability must apply across the board—for every vulnerable being.
City leaders have failed both the residents and the animals of L.A. Their skewed ideology prevents them from treating homeless animal abusers the same as they would any other abuser, which is a horrible implication for all those unfortunate pets stuck in the possession of drug abusers, the mentally ill, and other individuals who have no business holding onto a pet. There are many folks on the streets who will do whatever they can for their animals; but abusers don't deserve any special consideration and should be duly charged and prohibited from having contact or acquiring any future animals. I have communicated with Good Samaritans who have visited the camps, trying to help animals. The accounts are sad and frustrating. City leaders need to get their act together.
So well written and explained once again Ed. Houston is facing a similar crisis. To expand on the the "people" part of this--stray dogs are attacking people and other pets at an alarming rate in Houston. The dogs have packed up and become a danger to our citizens. The City of Houston and Harris County (the county in which Houstonians reside) spend approximately $19M per year on animal control while the combined budgets of the animal nonprofits in Houston far exceed $100M. The private citizens are doing the lion's share of the work, all while animals and people are dying. We need a better model for solving this. It is a multi-pronged solution that must be implemented soon. The dogs and cats on the streets are breeding faster than volunteers can save them. The suffering for people and animals is uncivilized.
So tragic. Along the same line, I remember forwarding a report about a man in South LA who had his dog tethered 24/7 without shelter, water, etc. We had recently passed our humane sheltering law. The officer stated he would not enforce because a) the man would likely dump the dog (stray) or b) bring the dog to the shelter (increasing impounds/euth numbers) or c) officer would have to impound dog (same as "b"). Of course, none of these were good excuses.
We can pass a million laws until the cows come home. But, if it's not enforced, if the public is not held to a standard, not much will change.
It's an ironic twist when you think of it. Part of the no kill argument was that shelters were the problem. In their quest to be called "no kill" they might avoid enforcement since it could result in increased impounds. And, some shelters encourage the dumping of cats. Etc. In so doing, the bar establishing humane treatment remains low and the shelters are now--truly--part of the problem.
Pretty sick stuff. We have some of that in Ohio, but apparently not nearly on such a scale. Some gamblers love to bet on life or death fights, be they between animals or people, and the more desperate people become, the more they will continue to gamble.
This is so horrifying that it hard for me to read it. Ed, I know you are not saying this, but the implication here, that if someone is unhoused that we cannot expect them to treat animals humanely, is patronizing and ridiculous. An unhoused person may have a little to no food to give to their pup, but that doesn't explain or justify brutalizing them. I am so tired of hearing people make excuses for the cruelty of so many humans. Let's not deprive them of agency, they still make choices
Thank you, Jan. I really appreciate your thoughtful response. You're absolutely right—poverty and homelessness never excuse cruelty. Many unhoused individuals show deep love and compassion for their animals, even under the harshest conditions. This piece was meant to shine a light on systemic failures, not diminish anyone’s agency or accountability. Thank you for helping keep that distinction clear.
Ed thanks for clarifying that - yes you're talking about a systemic problem. And I would imagine that many unhoused people treat their companion animals with as much love and care as they can muster given their circumstances
I don't doubt the suffering of the animals on skid row. But the generated image with a caption saying"Two emaciated strays navigate Skid Row—alone, starving, and abandoned by the City of Angels." is frankly, offensive and deceptive. At least notify readers you are using AI to create graphics, or get an actual photo of the plight of these animals in need.
Thank you, Davyd. I appreciate your thoughtful feedback. You're absolutely right—it’s important to be transparent. The image was AI-generated to illustrate the conditions described in the piece, not to mislead. I’ve updated the post to reflect that. The suffering is real, and I hope we can keep the focus on the urgent need for action.
I get really tired of our city’s most vulnerable being constantly demonized. It’s like people think it’s okay for a person to wither away under the hot sun on skid row, but not the pets. I disagree with the idea that the wealthy would not be allowed to engage in such behavior. It’s a lot harder to track what goes on behind closed doors and we hear of people breeding, selling, and dumping dogs all day long. Not to mention their need to purchase pure bred or “popular” dogs which only exacerbates this crisis. You notice that every breed that becomes fashionable tends to populate the shelters? The difference is that it’s easy to see on skid row. You make a great point about the fancy cars. Anyone who has ever worked down there will tell you that a lot of people hanging out are simply there to exploit the homeless. While I agree that animal control should immediately act when there’s an animal in distress, so should our leaders when humans are in distress. The situation on skid row is a reflection of what is going on throughout the county, the surrounding counties, and likely the entire country. The fact that we have a skid row shows the moral collapse of us all. Human and animal suffering is a policy choice.
Also, I was a special education teacher for 25 years. I have a lot of sympathy for homeless people as I know no one chooses to be mentally ill or intellectually challenged. However, when people abuse animals, I have no sympathy for them. The city should step up its enforcement and help animals that are being abused and neglected.
Thank you for this follow-up, Suzanne. Your compassion and clarity are powerful. You’re absolutely right: empathy for human hardship should never mean turning a blind eye to animal suffering. Enforcement and care can—and must—go hand in hand.
Only cheap "pure bred" dogs end up populating shelters. The majority of the pure bred dogs are huskies, German shepherds, pit bulls, Chihuahuas and pugs. Poor people are more likely to not be able to afford to keep their dogs, get evicted, or become couch surfers than rich people. Someone who drops 2K on a bernadoodle, or some other ridiculous dog is less likely to dump it. The dog rescues that only rescue pure bred dogs usually don't have a large inventory. I volunteered for a dog rescue for five years. We used to get Shi-tzus when old ladies died. We got two mini-huskies, one Wheaton terrier, three Yorkie puppies, and one black cocker Spaniel. Otherwise, all mutts.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Suzanne. Your perspective adds important nuance to the conversation. Breed trends in shelters often reflect broader economic and social dynamics, and your observations from rescue help ground that in reality. Appreciate you being part of the dialogue.
Thank you, Jacqueline. Your comment powerfully captures the broader truth—Skid Row reflects systemic failures that affect both people and animals. The suffering we see there isn’t isolated, and you're right to call out the exploitation and double standards that persist across all levels of society. I deeply appreciate your thoughtful insight and agree: compassion and accountability must apply across the board—for every vulnerable being.
City leaders have failed both the residents and the animals of L.A. Their skewed ideology prevents them from treating homeless animal abusers the same as they would any other abuser, which is a horrible implication for all those unfortunate pets stuck in the possession of drug abusers, the mentally ill, and other individuals who have no business holding onto a pet. There are many folks on the streets who will do whatever they can for their animals; but abusers don't deserve any special consideration and should be duly charged and prohibited from having contact or acquiring any future animals. I have communicated with Good Samaritans who have visited the camps, trying to help animals. The accounts are sad and frustrating. City leaders need to get their act together.
So well written and explained once again Ed. Houston is facing a similar crisis. To expand on the the "people" part of this--stray dogs are attacking people and other pets at an alarming rate in Houston. The dogs have packed up and become a danger to our citizens. The City of Houston and Harris County (the county in which Houstonians reside) spend approximately $19M per year on animal control while the combined budgets of the animal nonprofits in Houston far exceed $100M. The private citizens are doing the lion's share of the work, all while animals and people are dying. We need a better model for solving this. It is a multi-pronged solution that must be implemented soon. The dogs and cats on the streets are breeding faster than volunteers can save them. The suffering for people and animals is uncivilized.
So tragic. Along the same line, I remember forwarding a report about a man in South LA who had his dog tethered 24/7 without shelter, water, etc. We had recently passed our humane sheltering law. The officer stated he would not enforce because a) the man would likely dump the dog (stray) or b) bring the dog to the shelter (increasing impounds/euth numbers) or c) officer would have to impound dog (same as "b"). Of course, none of these were good excuses.
We can pass a million laws until the cows come home. But, if it's not enforced, if the public is not held to a standard, not much will change.
It's an ironic twist when you think of it. Part of the no kill argument was that shelters were the problem. In their quest to be called "no kill" they might avoid enforcement since it could result in increased impounds. And, some shelters encourage the dumping of cats. Etc. In so doing, the bar establishing humane treatment remains low and the shelters are now--truly--part of the problem.
'Not sure who can step in and save LA now.
Pretty sick stuff. We have some of that in Ohio, but apparently not nearly on such a scale. Some gamblers love to bet on life or death fights, be they between animals or people, and the more desperate people become, the more they will continue to gamble.