Valley Activists Protest San Bernardino Dog Raid

A raid by animal control officers in San Bernardino prompted protests from San Fernando Valley animal lovers Friday when it was learned that as many as 70 dogs confiscated from an elderly woman came from a defunct Sun Valley kennel.

Leaders of Valley animal groups said they were launching a campaign to bail the dogs out of the San Bernardino city pound before they are ordered destroyed next week. They also vowed to seek new owners for two other groups of dogs apparently abandoned by a Woodland Hills woman who had operated the Sun Valley kennel until December.

The animals are the last of an estimated 5,000 dogs and cats cared for during the last eight years by Anita Less, who waged her own campaign to save strays from destruction at Valley animal shelters. Less, 51, sheltered unwanted dogs and cats at her privately financed kennel until new homes for them could be found.

84 Dogs Discovered

About 100 dogs were being kept at the kennel when Less lost its lease last year. She said at the time that she was confident that all of the animals would be placed in homes.

But 10 ended up in a Chatsworth kennel, three went to a Van Nuys kennel and an estimated 70 others went to the home of San Bernardino resident Mary Shepherd, 87.

San Bernardino police and animal control officers said it was at Shepherd’s house that they discovered 84 dogs Thursday after breaking into her fenced, 10-acre property. Under local law, the woman was entitled to have only three dogs, authorities said.

Paul Turner, director of San Bernardino’s animal shelter, said that, although the dogs did not carry tags listing their origin, his investigation confirmed that most came from the Sun Valley kennel.

Word of the raid was relayed to Valley animal activists by Jo Foreman, a former volunteer at Less’ kennel who was helping Shepherd care for the dogs.

Long-Distance Effort

Regina Eshelman, an Encino bookkeeper active in animal work, said the long-distance rescue effort was organized because San Bernardino officials frequently sell unclaimed dogs to medical laboratories.

But Turner said none of the animals confiscated from Shepherd will be released for research. He said, however, that dogs not claimed by Wednesday will be destroyed by lethal injection.

Turner said the speedy disposal of the dogs is necessary because his city’s animal shelter “was bulging at the seams” even before the 84 animals were seized Thursday.

Because the Shepherd raid has caused a furor in San Bernardino, officials are “trying to handle this as diplomatically as possible” and are waiving normal dog-placement procedures, he said.

Fees to Be Dropped

All boarding fees for the confiscated dogs are being dropped and proof of ownership will not be required of people claiming them. People claiming the dogs will be required to pay a $15 impound fee and $8 for rabies shots.

“All I want is proof that they aren’t going back to Mary Shepherd’s address,” Turner said. “We don’t want to go killing a mob of dogs. We just don’t want them in those conditions.”

Less could not be reached for comment Friday. Her Califa Street home was empty and a for-sale sign was in front. Several friends said she had moved to the East Coast because of family health problems.

“Anita’s done excellent work before. I don’t know what happened,” Eshelman said.

Barbara Toth, president of the Canoga Park-based Animal Lovers Legal Action Humane Society, said she was surprised to learn of the dogs because “Anita’s whole life was rescuing animals. Maybe the tremendous breeding that is occurring and not enough homes finally got to her.”

Frank Parsons, owner of the Shoestring Kennel in Chatsworth, said Less paid boarding fees for 10 dogs through July. He said he is hunting for homes for them, and added, “Nothing’s going to happen to them; none will be put down.”

Lisa Young, office manager at a Van Nuys veterinarian’s kennel, said new owners are being sought for three dogs and five cats left there since December by Less.