Los Angeles Animal Services (LAAS) has launched a trial program today to transfer long-stay dogs between the city’s six shelters. The initiative aims to improve adoption chances for dogs housed for more than three months by relocating them to different facilities. However, volunteers have raised concerns, warning that the program could lead to more animals being euthanized. According to Westside Current, the policy could affect hundreds of dogs, including over 65 at the West Los Angeles shelter alone.
Volunteers argue that transferring dogs disrupts their stability and could lead to behavioral regression, illness, or euthanasia. They believe that moving dogs from relatively stable environments to shelters with high intake and limited space could backfire. LAAS defends the program, stating that it expands adoption opportunities by exposing dogs to different communities with varying preferences. “By transferring dogs to other shelters, we’re expanding their adoption pool,” the agency said.
Despite the agency’s defense, volunteers suggest alternative solutions, such as rotating kennel placements within the same shelter, improving kennel cards to highlight dogs’ personalities, and expanding adoption events. On social media, volunteers are posting videos of dogs they believe are at risk under the new policy, urging the public to foster or adopt these animals before transfers occur.
LAAS emphasizes that the program is designed to give dogs the best chance at finding a home, citing similar practices in other shelter systems across the country that have successfully reduced euthanasia rates. However, volunteers remain skeptical, stressing the importance of humane, targeted approaches to animal welfare.
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