Animal Rescues For Change

06/02/2026

🚨 Public Forum or Public Relations? San Jose Residents Still Waiting for Answers.

San Jose Animal Care & Services held a community forum after growing public concern about shelter operations, animal outcomes, data transparency, Return-to-Field practices, rescue support, and declining public services.

We appreciate that the forum happened. Public dialogue matters. But many of the community’s core questions still remain unanswered.
Among the questions raised by residents, rescuers, volunteers, and advocates:

▪️ San Jose’s Return-to-Field (RTF) numbers increased from 5 animals in 2021 to 1,607 in 2025.
What written policy now governs which cats are eligible for RTF?
Does the policy include
- minimum age,
- health condition,
- temperament,
- release location,
- and caretaker requirements?

▪️ Public shelter data appears to show kittens as young as under 2 months old included in RTF outcomes.
What is the shelter’s minimum age standard for returning kittens outdoors, and who signs off when juvenile kittens are released after shelter custody and monitors their wellbeing?

▪️ Why are friendly stray cats and kittens being turned away, or taken into shelter custody and later returned to the streets instead of being placed for adoption or rescue?

▪️ Questions were also raised regarding handling practices for ringworm-positive kittens and disease management protocols.

▪️ Public low-cost spay/neuter services for owned animals dropped from approximately 6,000 services per year to near zero and have not been meaningfully restored.
What funding plans, vendor partnerships, or RFPs does the City have to restore affordable public spay/neuter access?

▪️ If public spay/neuter access remains limited while intake is restricted or managed, what is the City’s actual plan to prevent more accidental litters and growing community overpopulation?

▪️ When residents are asked to hold found animals instead of the shelter taking physical custody, or even registering found animals, how does SJACS track:
- vaccination status,
- spay/neuter,
- microchip scanning,
- rabies-risk monitoring,
- and final outcomes?

▪️ Questions were raised regarding GAP Fund reimbursements.
The City’s own webpage states the program reimburses rescue groups for eligible expenses, including medical care and spay/neuter for shelter animals.
Local Rescue Groups have submitted multiple reimbursement requests related to SJACS animals, including vaccination and spay/neuter costs, but reportedly no response.

What is:
- the official reimbursement process,
- the timeline for review,
- the responsible contact,
- and how are rescue partners protected from being left covering eligible expenses without communication?

▪️ Why are rescue transfers declining while rescues remain overwhelmed?

▪️ Why are there empty adoption kennels while communities continue reporting abandoned animals and friendly cats being returned outdoors?

▪️ Why were public spay/neuter metrics removed from annual city reporting?

▪️ Why have communities been requesting a formal public animal services advisory committee for years, yet no clear structure, public agenda process, or accountability mechanism currently exists?

The public was told there were time constraints, that staff would try to get through questions, and that unanswered questions could potentially be addressed later or resubmitted by email.
But this is exactly why follow-through matters now.

When residents, rescuers, taxpayers, and volunteers raise serious concerns, the response cannot simply be:
“Check the dashboard.”
“Wait until next month.”
“Trust the process.”

The community needs direct answers.
Not broad reassurance.
Not selected talking points.
Not numbers without explanation.
Not “we’ll get back to you” with no public tracking system.

If the City truly wants to rebuild trust, the next step is simple:
➡️ Publish the submitted questions
➡️ Publish complete written answers
➡️ Show the underlying data behind those answers
➡️ Clarify what will change, by when, and who is accountable

That is transparency.

Because animals do not benefit from vague promises.
Rescues cannot operate on unclear answers.
And the public cannot verify accountability if questions and answers remain scattered, private, or unfinished.
A public forum is a beginning.

Now San Jose needs follow-through.

__________________________________________________
📧 Questions? [email protected]
We are a coalition of 100 + California Rescues advocating for public spay/neuter funding, stronger backyard breeder laws, and full shelter transparency.
🚨Rescues, Spay Neuter, welfare providers: Join our Team of Californian Animal Rescues and Welfare Providers for more impact: https://animalrescuesforchange.org/join-the-mission/
🚨Supporters: Sign up for email updates and action calls: https://animalrescuesforchange.org/contact/

PLEASE SHARE OUR POSTS, to spread awareness. Thank you.

05/28/2026

Please help rescues who had transferred dogs to Miranda , to identify if their dogs are accounted for. If you had adopted dogs, please share photos to pages listed in the post .

Share adopted animals from Miranda’s Rescue.
Send a photo, name, and adoption year.

Connecting stories. Providing answers. Bringing peace of mind.

05/27/2026

‘UPDATE: If any rescue or shelter has dogs at Miranda‘s currently or sees a dog here they want to take in please DM me.

I was able to go to Miranda’s yesterday and get footage of all the dogs there to try and help network them. Hopefully this gives people some clarity and helps shelters, rescues, and owners come up with a plan to get their dogs out because that needs to happen immediately.

There was no sign of Blu, but we will not stop searching until he is found.’

05/26/2026

California’s new “Stop the Puppy Mill Pipeline” law is being widely celebrated online.

But many rescuers and Californians are asking some fair questions.

California already banned most pet stores from selling commercially bred puppies years ago.

Most Californians today do NOT get dogs from:
▪️ pet stores
▪️ mall puppy shops
▪️ large commercial broker chains

Today, most animals are obtained through:
▪️ Facebook
▪️ Instagram
▪️ Craigslist-type listings
▪️ backyard breeders
▪️ “rehoming” posts
▪️ direct online sales

So WHO exactly is this new broker-focused law affecting in real-world California today, who the brokers transport animals in California to, since there are no stores?

After reviewing publicly available information, there still does not appear to be transparent statewide data clearly showing:
▪️ how many commercially brokered puppies enter California
▪️ where they go
▪️ who receives them
▪️ or how large this market actually is compared to the broader overpopulation crisis

The law appears mainly aimed at certain commercial middlemen, brokers, and bulk resale operations that move animals bred by someone else for profit.

Transparency matters.
Closing loopholes matters.

But many rescuers are asking whether the public messaging became much broader than the actual measurable impact.

Because on the ground, we are STILL seeing:
🐾 overcrowded shelters
🐾 exploding euthanasia lists
🐾 healthy dogs euthanized for space
🐾 rescues overwhelmed
🐾 puppies flooding communities
🐾 nonstop online animal sales everywhere

The biggest drivers of today’s crisis increasingly appear to be:
❌ uncontrolled online sales
❌ backyard breeding
❌ accidental litters
❌ anonymous sellers
❌ lack of affordable spay/neuter
❌ weak enforcement
❌ no meaningful breeder traceability

So many rescuers continue asking:

If these broker pipelines were truly a major source of California overpopulation, shouldn’t communities already be seeing at least SOME measurable relief?

That is not a political question.
That is a practical question.

Because communities, shelters, rescuers, and animals are still in crisis.

Real long-term relief likely requires:
▪️ affordable spay/neuter access
▪️ online seller accountability
▪️ breeder traceability
▪️ shelter transparency
▪️ meaningful enforcement
▪️ and prevention-focused policy

Prevention — not just shifting sales channels — is what ultimately reduces suffering.

05/26/2026

🚨 LAST DAY — FTC COMMENT DEADLINE TONIGHT BY 11:59 PM EST 🚨

Right now, online animal sales are basically the WILD WEST:
❌ no real rules
❌ no identity verification
❌ no accountability
❌ anonymous sellers everywhere

Animals are being sold like random products through Facebook groups, marketplace listings, messaging apps, and fake “rehoming” posts — while shelters and rescues collapse under the consequences.

🐾 Puppies bought impulsively online
🐾 Backyard breeders flooding communities
🐾 Sick and unvaccinated animals sold anonymously
🐾 Animals dumped months later at shelters or on the streets
🐾 Friendly, healthy dogs euthanized for space

Meanwhile rescuers are overwhelmed, communities are struggling, and taxpayers absorb the growing costs.

This is no longer sustainable.

The FTC is reviewing a petition asking for basic guardrails on online animal sales:
✔ seller verification
✔ transparency
✔ accountability
✔ consumer protections

📢 TODAY is the LAST DAY to submit comments:
⏰ Deadline: May 26, 2026 — 11:59 PM EST
To Submit your comment GO to: FTC Portal https://www.regulations.gov/document/FTC-2026-0529-0001 PUSH Blue button “Comment”

Please take a few minutes to speak up.
Animals are living beings — not disposable impulse purchases.

05/24/2026

Thank you Congresswoman Nancy Mace . There’s plenty of technology available to conduct tests and stop unnecessary animals suffering 🙏👏👏

We introduced the PAAW Act to prohibit the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from conducting or funding research causing significant pain or distress to dogs and cats.

These experiments, often hidden from public view and conducted with little oversight, include:

❌ Injecting dogs with co***ne and methamphetamine
❌ Intentionally infesting puppies with ticks and biting flies
❌ Inducing heart failure in dogs and cats
❌ Forcing beagles to swallow experimental drugs
❌ Intentionally breeding sick and deformed dogs and cats for abuse in inhumane and deadly testing
❌ Exposing animals to noxious stimuli which they cannot avoid/escape
❌ Forcing animals into long-term physical restraints, sometimes lasting weeks, with no escape

This isn’t just animal cruelty, it’s bureaucratic cruelty, paid for by the American taxpayers. If the NIH won’t do the right thing on its own, we will make them.

05/23/2026

Please, Help save this loyal, loving dog Lucy.
Let’s Save Lucy she has been in the war now let’s save her🚔🇺🇸 read,love, like call and Email. Let’s share this with everyone until LUCY COMES HOME.. SHARE!!!!!
🚨 SAVE LUCY: A WAR DOG NOW SITS IN A SHELTER FACING DEATH
Please sign the Change.org petition linked in the commentsE..
Lucy is 11 years old.
A survivor. A loyal companion. A dog who once helped protect soldiers.
She was a stray on the streets of Afghanistan until she bonded with U.S. Army veteran Brendan Jones during deployment. He brought her home—and for the past 10 years, she has been part of his family, never spending a single day away from them.
Until now.
💔 Lucy is currently sitting in a shelter in Shenandoah County, Virginia—confused, alone, and facing possible euthanasia.
💔 Lucy is not dangerous.
She is shy, protective, and doing what she learned to survive—alerting to strangers
Here’s what led to this:
A year ago, Lucy had a single incident while recovering from surgery. She was medicated and wearing a protective cone when a jogger’s arm inadvertently touched into the cone and Lucy reacted with one defensive nip and immediately released. Even the person involved did not want to press charges.
Despite this, Lucy was labeled a “dangerous dog.”
Then on April 17th, Lucy slipped her collar for a few seconds in her own fenced yard and barked at a passerby. A bark to alert her family that a stranger was near. An alert as she had done all those years ago in the Middle East. Once a behavior that was prized by the soldiers she was protecting,
That’s all.
An alert
No bite.
No contact.
No injury.
She never left her property.
Within minutes, police and animal control arrived.
Brendan was charged—and Lucy was taken.
🚨 A senior dog, after a lifetime with her family, is now sitting in a cage because she barked.
This is not a dangerous dog.
This is a loyal, aging companion being punished for instinct—and for a situation where no one was harmed.
Lucy survived war. She deserves to spend her final years at home—not in a kennel awaiting an uncertain fate.
📞 PLEASE TAKE ACTION — COURT DATE: MAY 8
It takes less than 10 seconds to make a difference:
Call the Shenandoah County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office
📱 (540) 459-6129
Say:
“Hi, I’m calling about Lucy, the dog belonging to U.S. Army veteran Brendan Jones in Shenandoah County.
I’m asking that Lucy be returned to her owner immediately.”
📧 Email the DA’s office:
[email protected]
📢 PLEASE SHARE
📞 CALL FOR LUCY
📧 EMAIl FOR LUCY
I put a copy of the email I sent in the comments .
📍Shenandoah County, VA
🙏 Stand up for Lucy. She once stood watch—now she needs someone to stand up for her.
🔗 Links to Brendan’s original post, Lucy’s original rescue story, etc in the comments

05/23/2026

🚨 FINAL DAYS TO SPEAK UP ON ONLINE ANIMAL SALES 🚨

We are now down to the final 3 days to submit public comments to the Federal Trade Commission regarding the Petition for Rulemaking on online animal sales and anonymous digital animal marketplaces.

196 people submitted comments as of this morning. 156 comments published so far.

Please do so as well:
To Submit your comment GO to: FTC Portal https://www.regulations.gov/document/FTC-2026-0529-0001 PUSH Blue button “Comment”

Keep your comment under 5000 characters.

This is one of the biggest federal opportunities we have seen in years to raise awareness about the growing impact unregulated online animal sales are having on:
🐾 shelters
🐾 rescues
🐾 consumers
🐾 taxpayers
🐾 public safety
🐾 and animals themselves.

Right now, animals are being bred and sold online every day through anonymous Facebook accounts, social media pages, messaging apps, and online marketplaces with little oversight or accountability. Many sellers hide behind fake names, delete accounts, move platforms, and operate without transparency, licensing verification, health records, or traceability.

Meanwhile:
🚨 Shelters across California and the country are overwhelmed
🚨 Many rescues are operating beyond capacity
🚨 Communities are absorbing rising costs
🚨 Animals are being abandoned, neglected, dumped, or surrendered faster than systems can handle

As shelters struggle to reduce overcrowding, serious concerns are also emerging about the pressure being placed on rescues and transfer systems. This is not just an “animal welfare issue” anymore — it increasingly affects public health, consumer protection, municipal resources, and community stability.

This FTC petition will not solve the entire crisis on its own. We still need:
✔️ affordable spay/neuter access
✔️ stronger illegal breeding enforcement
✔️ shelter transparency
✔️ rescue oversight
✔️ prevention infrastructure

But introducing meaningful transparency and accountability into online animal sales could help slow the uncontrolled flow of animals entering already overwhelmed systems.

📢 Public comments matter.
Even a short comment can help support:
• seller identity verification
• platform accountability
• consumer protections
• transparency requirements
• stronger oversight of online animal sales

🗓 Deadline: May 26

Animals do not have a voice in these systems. We must be that voice. 💙

__________________________________________________
📧 Questions? [email protected]
We are a coalition of 100 + California Rescues advocating for public spay/neuter funding, stronger backyard breeder laws, and full shelter transparency.
🚨Rescues, Spay Neuter, welfare providers: Join our Team of Californian Animal Rescues and Welfare Providers for more impact: https://animalrescuesforchange.org/join-the-mission/
🚨Supporters: Sign up for email updates and action calls: https://animalrescuesforchange.org/contact/

PLEASE SHARE OUR POSTS, to spread awareness. Thank you.

05/23/2026

🚨 America’s Animal Shelter System Is Quietly Retreating From Public Service 🚨

For years, the public has been told that declining shelter intake numbers mean progress. Lower intake, higher live release rates, and polished national dashboards have created the impression that the animal overpopulation crisis is improving.

But what if the numbers are telling only part of the story?

Our latest report reviewed trends from several historically high-intake California municipal shelter systems, including Los Angeles County, San Jose, and SEAACA. Across all of them, the same pattern emerged: fewer animals entering shelters, while overcrowding, euthanasia pressure, disease exposure, and strain on rescues continue to grow.

❌ Massive reductions in animal intake
❌ Overcrowding still worsening
❌ Public services shrinking
❌ Communities being told to keep found animals themselves
❌ Exploding stray populations
❌ Rescues collapsing under pressure
❌ Disease outbreaks increasing
❌ Historical public data disappearing ( years prior to 2021)

🚨 Los Angeles County intake declined from approximately:
60,683 animals in FY 2018–19 to:
35,437 animals in FY 2024–25

This represents a reduction of approximately:
25,246 fewer animals annually,
or approximately 41.6% decline in intake capacity.

🚨 San Jose intake declined from:
18,584 animals in FY 2018–19to:
11,206 animals in FY 2024–25

This represents approximately:
7,378 fewer animals annually,
or nearly 40% decline in intake.

🚨 SEAACA intake declined approximately:
59.3% between 2018 and 2024,
from approximately 15,802 animals to 6,432 annually.

Again, the same pattern appears:reduced intake, reduced absorption capacity, and increasing externalization of burden onto communities and rescues.

⚠️ The data does not suggest the crisis has been solved. It suggests something very different:
public systems are quietly reducing their ability to absorb animals, while the burden is increasingly shifted onto communities, rescuers, fosters, and taxpayers.

⚠️ In many areas, residents are now told to:
keep found animals themselves,
search for owners on social media,
arrange veterinary care out of pocket,
or attempt to privately rehome animals because shelters no longer have intake capacity.

🚨 At the same time, affordable public spay/neuter access has sharply declined in many regions, while online animal sales and anonymous breeding continue expanding almost unchecked.

🚨 Social media has effectively become what many rescuers now describe as “puppy mills on steroids.” Animals can be sold instantly across cities and states through Facebook groups, messaging apps, and anonymous online accounts with little oversight, traceability, or accountability.

Meanwhile, shelters and rescues across the country are overwhelmed. Rescuers are now routinely receiving euthanasia lists with dozens of animals at a time, while also taking in dogs and cats exposed to contagious distemper, parvo, URI outbreaks, and severe behavioral deterioration caused by overcrowding and prolonged confinement.

This is no longer just an “animal welfare issue.”

It increasingly affects:
⚠️ public health,
⚠️ public safety,
⚠️ municipal infrastructure,
⚠️ consumer protection,
⚠️ community stability,
⚠️ and taxpayers forced to absorb the consequences of collapsing prevention systems.

Animals are suffering.
Communities are struggling.
Rescuers are burning out.

And the current trajectory is accelerating — not stabilizing.

We urgently need:
greater transparency,
real prevention infrastructure,
spay/neuter investment,
accountability in online animal sales,
and honest public discussion about what is happening behind the numbers.

Please read and share the full report. People deserve to understand the reality unfolding across animal shelter systems in America.

Animal Rescuers for Change (ARFC) reviewed trends from three historically high-intake California municipal shelter systems: • Los Angeles County Animal Care & Control, • San Jose Animal Care & Services, • and Southeast Area Animal Control Authority (SEAACA).Across all three systems, the same p...