California Animal Shelter Crisis Coalition

08/30/2026

08/21/2026

08/15/2026

08/12/2026

It's not the outcome we wanted. Bruce was k!lled this morning 😭

Please follow and wait for updates on A Dog Named Bruce and Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center.

We will have more to share, but just right now, we can't.

We love you,
Fenix and mum Zoë
_____

Update Aug 12 11:12am: BREAKING: A NEW LIFESAVING OPTION HAS BEEN PUT ON THE TABLE FOR BRUCE
SPARC’s counsel has advised County Counsel in writing that Cesar Millan will take Bruce.
SPARC has also advised the County that it is prepared to obtain a liability policy in excess of $20 million and name Ventura County as an additional insured.
SPARC is prepared to pay.
A nationally known canine expert is willing to take Bruce.
A major liability policy can be obtained.
The County’s stated concerns are being addressed directly.
This is a moment for Ventura County to pause, not double down.
Bruce does not need to die this morning while this new option and the Supreme Court application are being considered.
Please call and email now.
Ask Ventura County, VCAS, the Board of Supervisors, and the CEO to pause immediately, preserve Bruce, review the new offer, and work with counsel on a lifesaving resolution.
Contact information will be posted in the comments.
The ask is simple:
Do not kill Bruce this morning.
Preserve him.
Review the offer.
Let the Supreme Court application be considered.
Choose the lifesaving path.
Bruce can still be saved.
Ventura County still has time to choose life.
_____

Update Aug 12 6am: Emergency motion filed in the Ninth Circuit. Ventura County must stand down.

The County knew a notice of appeal had been filed. The County received a standstill request. Instead of agreeing to preserve Bruce while appellate review proceeds, it scheduled his death and released a prepared press statement defending it.

That is not respect for process. That is an attempt to make the appeal meaningless before the appellate court can act.

No court has ordered Ventura County to kill Bruce tomorrow morning. The federal stay was lifted, but Ventura County can still agree to preserve Bruce. It can still stipulate. It can still seek modification. It can still work with SPARC and counsel on a lawful rescue-release resolution.

SPARC is willing to pay for Bruce’s care and placement.

The Ninth Circuit should be allowed to rule before Ventura County takes an irreversible step.

Stand down. Preserve Bruce. Respect the Ninth Circuit. Let Bruce leave VCAS alive.

_____

Aug 11:

SPARC and Bruce’s family filed a notice of appeal on Friday. Their counsel asked the County for a standstill so Bruce would not be killed while emergency relief could be addressed through the courts.

The County had a clear off-ramp.
It could preserve Bruce’s life.
It could work with SPARC.
It could choose the humane alternative that is already available.
Instead, we are now hearing that County Counsel is preparing a press release about Bruce’s euthanasia.

Ventura County should not be preparing to explain Bruce’s death.
It should be stopping it.

Emergency legal relief is being pursued, but it may not stop Ventura County Animal Services in time.

That is why the community must act NOW.

Not later. Now.

VCAS has held Bruce for more than five months without walks, exercise, or ordinary human touch. Its own records describe him as calm, friendly, social, easy to handle, and well behaved in custody. They even called him a “Model Citizen.”

More than 4,200 people have joined A Dog Named Bruce. Nearly 4,400 people have signed the petition asking Ventura County to let Bruce leave VCAS alive.

The community is not confused about what is being asked.
SPARC is ready to help.
A humane alternative exists.

There is no reason to kill Bruce tomorrow morning.

Please share this post loudly and widely.

Call. Email. Contact local media.
The full contact list is in comments below.

Ask VCAS, County Counsel, the Board of Supervisors, and County leadership to stop tomorrow’s euthanasia, work with SPARC, and let Bruce leave VCAS alive.

Bruce does not have time for silence.

Please go to the comments now for phone numbers, emails, and messages you can copy and send.

–– A Dog Named Bruce and Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center
_______
📷 : Bruce and Fenix

Bruce is behind bars tonight, and unless something changes, he will be killed tomorrow morning.

Fenix is snoring peacefully at my feet. And I can’t stop thinking about the difference between them right now.

I know Bruce might not be your dog. But just for today, while it still matters, will you fight for him as if he were?

Send an email. Make a call. Contact someone you know in the media. Share his story. Do whatever is within your reach.

Imagine it was your dog sitting behind those bars, with somewhere safe to go, and people fighting to save him… but still facing death in the morning.

Bruce needs us right now. Please don’t assume someone else will do it. Be someone for Bruce today.

Thank-you.
I love you all,
Fenix' mum Zoe Lumiere

08/08/2026

Yesterday, AB 2344 authored by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) and co-sponsored by Social Compassion in Legislation and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, was placed on the Senate Appropriations Committee's suspense file.

AB 2344 would allow prosecutors to petition the court for the forfeiture of animals seized in abuse cases when the accused owner fails to appear for a scheduled court hearing.

This important legislation would help prevent animal victims from being confined in shelters for months - or even years - as evidence while criminal cases move through the court system. Instead, eligible animals could be released for foster or adoption and given the opportunity to heal in safe, loving homes.

We have submitted all of your support letters to the Committee. Now, we are asking you to make your voice heard once again.

Please email Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Senator Sabrina Cervantes and urge her to support AB 2344.

📧 Email: [email protected]

Subject line: Please Support AB 2344

Your message can be brief. Simply ask Senator Cervantes to support AB 2344. You may also explain why protecting animal victims and reducing lengthy shelter stays matters to you.

A simple message of support can make a meaningful difference.

08/06/2026

🔥 PLEASE READ, SIGN PETITIONS AND SHARE‼️🔥

Two dogs. Two kennels. Two communities asking Ventura County to choose life.

Many of you know Bruce’s name.

But Bruce is not alone.

In the kennel beside Bruce is another dog: Luca.

Luca and his owner, Lori, became homeless and were living on the streets together. Members of the community saw them, cared about them, and tried to help. A group of Simi Valley moms came together to get Luca a bike carrier so he would not have to ride on Lori’s back.

Now Luca is sitting in the kennel beside Bruce.

That should stop people in their tracks.

Because this is not just about one dog anymore.

Bruce came from SPARC. SPARC placed him, retained rights under its adoption agreement, and is ready to bring him back under its protection.

Luca also has someone standing behind him. His original out-of-state rescue/breeder wants him back and is prepared to take responsibility for him.

Luca’s de novo appeal hearing is set for August 13.

The window to act is short.

That is the pattern.

Two dogs.

Two kennels.

Two return paths.

Two lifesaving alternatives.

Two communities asking why VCAS keeps choosing the machinery of destruction over return, rescue, and lawful alternatives.

Bruce shows what happens when VCAS ignores SPARC’s rights and refuses a rescue path.

Luca shows that VCAS is not stepping back and reconsidering after Bruce. It is doing it again — while Bruce’s case is already in litigation, while the community is already watching, and while another dog sits beside him waiting for people to notice.

Bruce’s story matters.

Luca’s story matters too.

Together, they raise a larger question about the direction of VCAS, its treatment of rescue and return options, and whether this community’s lifesaving values are truly being reflected.

Please stand with Luca.

Sign Luca’s petition here:
https://www.change.org/p/save-luca-tell-ventura-county-to-release-him-to-his-original-rescue-breeder

And please keep standing with Bruce.

Sign Bruce’s petition here:
https://www.change.org/p/save-bruce-tell-ventura-county-to-release-him-to-rescue

Follow A Dog Named Bruce

That is where we will continue sharing updates about Bruce, Luca, planned community action, public meetings, media coverage, and the larger questions now facing VCAS.

These dogs are not alone.

And this community is paying attention.

06/30/2026

661 collars.

They found 661 collars, many of them with tags still attached, in a pile in his barn. There was blood and 22 shell casings all over the place.

As horrible as it is to picture what was done to these dogs, people have to understand that each one of them needs to be accounted for. He needs to be held responsible for what he has done.

Most shelter dogs do not come wearing collars and tags. Most of the dogs that were wearing tags were likely owner surrenders. If you surrendered your dog to Miranda’s “Rescue”(especially within the last year), please call the authorities and make a report as soon as possible.

If you paid a hefty fee and were promised that your dog would be adopted out or would live the rest of their life at this “sanctuary”, he sold you a promise that didn’t happen and that can be considered fraud.

Without these single individual owner surrenders coming forward, they have no idea of the magnitude of the dogs he killed and the money that changed hands that may be unaccounted for (and most likely is).

117 (plus the original 8 deceased dogs were found in various graves in just one section of the property. These dogs were killed recently.… all of them are assumed to have been buried between January 2026 and April 2026. (According to the Humboldt County Sheriff during today’s press conference).

We need to keep posting and sharing this information. These dogs deserve justice for what was done to them. 💔

If you surrendered a dog to Miranda’s Rescue, please reach out to the authorities listed here:

Call 707-268-2539

Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

(This is not an actual photo of the collars found. It is an image that was created to illustrate the magnitude of what happened.)