Friday September 15 was the kickoff of a coast to coast road trip to raise awareness for the need to find solutions that can save animal lives and reconnect natural habitat. 3,500 miles of promoting and learning. Beth Pratt +4 will advance the cause of P-22's legacy: wildlife crossings. 

The speeches were over, the filming was done, and I headed up a narrow trail that lead to the top of Murder Mountain. The team of 5 left the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing construction site and headed for the Mojave desert. I headed for an uphill hike, daunting for someone who's hasn't even been doing daily dog walks since April. Off they went to the Mojave Desert, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana and Florida. Off I went to an upgrade that wouldn't quit. ​

What is the story? It's a story of hope.
There's no reason to hope but we hope anyway.
A story of despite.
​With no glimmer of change for the better on the horizon,
we fight the odds, the hurdles, the likelihood of a cruel status quo.
https://youtu.be/SiUG-T5hKIs

Los Angeles city shelters have surpassed crisis levels, they've reached the breaking point. Dogs sit in small cages, in their own feces, in hallways where no one can see them, not accessible to volunteers or the public. They get 5 minute potty breaks and are deprived of basic comfort and exercise. Living in inhumane conditions for weeks and months at a time, 23hours-55minutes a day. 
​
Mayor Bass, you appointed Staycee Dains as the new General Manager for Los Angeles Animal Services (LAAS). The interview process was set up in her favor with a “confidential panel” comprised of her associates from Human Animal Support Services (HASS). HASS is run by the former disgraced GM of LAAS Brenda Barnette, and their policies are destroying shelters across the country. Ms. Dains couldn’t handle the Long Beach shelter, so why would you give her six that are in a state of emergency? GM Staycee Dains’
Two Month Accomplishments:
1.) Added more color-coded KILL LISTS to FAST-TRACK pet KILLING
2.) Sold Breeder Licenses to unhoused people
3.) Handed out metal dog crates on Skid Row - but didn't enforce spay/neuter nor provide free spay and neuter.  

Where's compassion? Where are innovative strategies or new ideas? Mayor Bass call a state of emergency and craft a plan to stop this crisis. 
PRIORITIES

• Get the animal population under control
• Enforce spay/neuter laws and provide FREE spay/neuter
• Stop allowing animals to leave the shelter unfixed
• Stop selling breeder licenses with zero oversight, especially to unhoused individuals on Skid Row where the pet population has exploded
• Crack down on backyard breeders
• Market and promote adoptions
• Investigate the volunteer program (30 volunteers fired/suspended, only 14% of applications accepted)

The LA Times, KCAL 9, CBS, FOX 11 and several other news orgs exposed inhumane and illegal shelter conditions, including dogs not being walked for weeks or months. The first walk for some was to the euthanasia room. The systemic sick, toxic LAAS culture MUST change.