The animal rescue at the center of Friday’s massive seizure says Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control workers injured several dogs as authorities swarmed a property in rural Lake Hughes in what officials called one of the largest animal rescues in county history.
“That dog is friendly. There’s no need to choke him like that,” an unidentified woman can be heard saying in a video posted Saturday on the organization’s Instagram, where she also claims to see blood on one of the dogs.
Photos and videos posted on the Rock N Pawz animal rescue Instagram show Animal Care and Control workers in hazmat suits removing the animals from the property. They can also be seen walking through the property carrying nets and catch poles.
The rescue, owned by Christine De Anda, also said officials on the scene confiscated a phone, preventing full documentation of the seizure, and that authorities used catch poles to drag the dogs.
The unidentified woman says she tried to take photos of each dog as officials took them off the property, but was pushed back and not permitted to do so, according to a separate video.
“I wanted to take pictures of each dog as they removed the dog to prove that the dogs were not emaciated or in bad shape as they keep saying they are,” she says in the video as she records workers carrying dogs to the trucks.
The Department of Animal Care and Control did not respond Saturday to requests for comment. But the agency previously said in a statement that the animals found at the property were being inspected on-site by veterinary staff and would be sent to nearby veterinary hospitals if they needed assistance.
The seizure was sparked by an investigation of suspected animal cruelty at the property, including incidents of neglect and overcrowding, according to an L.A. County district attorney’s office spokesperson. Neighbors complained for years about the stench and constant barking.
No criminal charges have been filed.
Roughly 250 dogs and 66 cats are now in the care of the L.A. County Department of Animal Care and Control, straining all seven L.A. County animal care centers. The agency has reached out to other organizations for assistance, including spcLA, Pasadena Humane and Kern County Animal Services, and expects longer wait times at its centers as staff and volunteers assist with the rescue.
Due to the scale of the seizure, centers will remain open Sunday to help free up shelter space for the animals seized during Friday’s raid.
“We are deeply grateful to our partners who stood alongside us today: our District Attorney investigators, Pasadena Humane, spcaLA, and Kern County Animal Services. Your expertise and collaboration were critical in this response,” the department wrote on Instagram.
