Our undercover investigators went to 39 pet shops, 35 animal shelters, and 22 hard-to-infiltrate puppy mills across the country. CAPS used evidence from these investigations to advance and reinforce legislation in multiple states, including Texas, Nevada, Florida, New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts. We released nine video exposés about pet shops, breeders, and brokers. And we premiered a shocking new documentary about animal abuse in Kern County, CA.

In California, CAPS’ efforts have now saved more than 400 dogs and cats from a high-kill shelter in Bakersfield, and we are deep into producing a documentary and a series of video exposés about the crisis at the state’s municipal shelters. Nationwide, our PSA on spaying and neutering—produced in both Spanish and English—has been airing on even more TV and radio stations this year.

These efforts and victories, made possible by your support, are just a few of our accomplishments in 2025. Please keep reading to learn more about the powerful achievements your donations have been generating.

Texas

CAPS has been investigating Texas pet shops and the mills supplying them to provide evidence for retail ban legislation. So far, we have investigated 21 of the state’s 38 pet shops. A CAPS investigator also went to some of the Midwest puppy mills that supply Texas pet shops.

Unfortunately, Texas passed a preemption bill, which prevents municipalities from passing retail ban ordinances unless the ordinances are already in place. That is why a state law is more critical than ever.

Using our pet shop and puppy mill evidence, CAPS produced video exposés about the state’s Petland franchises, Puppy Dreams stores, and other Texas pet shops. CAPS will also be encouraging the Texas Attorney General to start investigations of Petland and Puppy Dreams. Watch the Texas Petlands and Puppy Dreams exposés.

Nevada

Since 2017, when the Las Vegas City Council repealed an ordinance before it took effect, pet shops have proliferated in the city. Las Vegas currently has 13 pet shops; nearby Henderson has three, grandfathered in by an ordinance that passed in 2024.

This summer, CAPS investigated nearly all of the pet shops in Las Vegas and Henderson, exposing the true sources of the puppies sold there and the many lies told by pet shop employees to deceive customers. CAPS submitted investigatory evidence in support of a retail ban ordinance, including video exposés about David Salinas, Puppy Heaven, and Petland Las Vegas. The ordinance passed the city council on November 5. But because the ban won’t go into effect for three years—something we strongly opposed—CAPS will continue investigating breeders who sell to Las Vegas pet shops. Watch the David Salinas and Puppy Heaven exposés.

Illinois

CAPS spent 13 years laying the groundwork for a statewide retail ban in Illinois, which went into effect in 2022. Pet shops can no longer sell dogs and cats; they can only offer animals from shelters and rescues. However, some pet shops are taking advantage of a loophole in the law; legislation to amend the statute’s language is stuck in a senate committee. In 2025, CAPS again investigated the five Illinois pet shops that are still selling puppies. Some of these stores are also using finance plans, which state law makes illegal.

CAPS also investigated The Barn on Baseline, a private shelter in Genoa, Illinois, where animals live in substandard conditions—often for years. The shelter makes very little effort to market its animals. We are working to get the Illinois Department of Agriculture to address the problems at the shelter. Watch The Barn on Baseline exposé.

Florida

CAPS has been laying the groundwork for pet shop ordinances in Florida, which currently has more than 75 pet shops, more than any other state. Since 2018, CAPS has gone to at least 60 Florida pet shops; we’ve been investigating breeders who sell to these stores, such as the Campbells, who sell puppies to pet shops around the country, including in Texas.

New York

CAPS began its New York Pet Shop Campaign as a collaboration with the New York Attorney General to expose and crack down on consumer fraud at pet shops. But because of the strength of our evidence, we also worked with New York legislators for several years to pass a state law banning the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits. The legislation finally went into effect on December 15, 2024.

Since then, CAPS has been investigating New York pet shops that are circumventing the law and illegally  selling puppies through special orders, appointments, puppies sold only at certain times, sales from a home-based pet shop, and parking lots sales. The New York Attorney General is receiving our evidence.

Massachusetts and Rhode Island

When CAPS proposed a retail ban law in Massachusetts in 2014, the state had more than a dozen pet shops; we investigated the remaining ten in 2018. Yet, the legislation, which Sen. Patrick O’Connor introduces every session, has not yet passed. That is why CAPS has been investigating the five remaining pet shops, two of which also have locations in Rhode Island. In addition, CAPS is hopeful that a Rhode Island legislator will introduce a bill once we have completed our investigation of that state’s four pet shops. We have also been investigating puppy mills that sell to Massachusetts and Rhode Island pet shops. You can see one of those investigations here.

California

Since 2022, CAPS has been helping Kern County Animal Services in Bakersfield, CA, an overcrowded high-kill shelter with more than 300 dogs and puppies. The dogs live in small kennels in metal warehouses with no outdoor runs. So far, our efforts have saved the lives of more than 400 dogs and six cats (cats are not usually at risk for euthanasia).

In April 2025, CAPS released a short documentary about the overwhelming incidents of horrific animal cruelty in Kern County. The cruelty is not just limited to residents; law enforcement and other officials are also responsible. Because of our efforts, 23ABC in Bakersfield aired five stories on the problem. We plan to use our documentary to try to obtain special state funding for a county animal cruelty task force. Warning: the documentary contains graphic content.

CAPS is working on another groundbreaking documentary called The Crisis at California’s Municipal Shelters, which we will distribute to state legislators, the media, and the public. We have been doing interviews and getting footage at shelters around the state. So far, we have been to 34 shelters.

As part of this project, we will also be releasing a series of video exposés about some of California’s largest municipal shelters, going into more depth about those shelters’ specific issues. These exposés will include OC Animal Care, Riverside County Department of Animal Services, LA Animal Services, Kern County Animal Services, and San Jose Animal Care & Services. The OC Animal Care exposé trailer is on our website.

Dog Brokers

CAPS has been producing video exposés about some of the largest puppy brokerage facilities in the country, such as J.A.K.’s Puppies, Select Puppies, Pinnacle Pet, and Blue Ribbon Puppies. Our latest exposé is about SouthPaw Pets in Neosho, Missouri.

Spay and Neuter PSA and National Latino Outreach

CAPS’ PSA about spaying and neutering is still airing on hundreds of local television and radio stations nationwide. This includes 23 national cable stations, such as CNN, Lifetime, A & E, Food, Travel, HGTV, and Vme (Spanish). As part of our National Latino Outreach Campaign, our primary focus is on obtaining wide distribution for the Spanish version. The PSA generates daily inquiries from people across the United States and Canada seeking low cost and free spay/neuter services in their communities.

CAPS, as the nonprofit that pioneered the ordinance movement, is pouring its expertise and resources into banning the retail sale of animals across the United States through local ordinances and statewide laws. And we are now using our investigative, legislative, and videomaking expertise to address animal overpopulation and shelter overcrowding through our spay and neuter, shelter reform, and animal cruelty initiatives. But the key to success in all of these arenas is evidence.

None of our nationwide efforts would succeed without your committed support. Please donate today. Millions of companion animals are currently suffering as a result of mills, shelters, and abandonment.

The post CAPS Efforts and Accomplishments 2025 appeared first on Companion Animal Protection Society.

CAPS  recently released a short documentary entitled Animal Cruelty in Kern County, California, which exposes the horrible animal cruelty epidemic in California’s third largest county (by land area).

Kern County, California has a horrible animal cruelty epidemic, with shocking crimes against animals not being investigated or prosecuted. CAPS’ emails and calls to the district attorney, the deputy DA in charge of the Rural Crimes Investigation Unit and county supervisors have gone unanswered.

In April, CAPS President Deborah Howard met with legislative directors, a chief of staff and a senate fellow for four of the five California legislators whose districts include Kern County. CAPS’ goal is to get special state funding for a desperately-needed countywide animal cruelty task force. The nonprofit will be developing a plan for this task force.

23ABC in Bakersfield interviewed CAPS President Deborah Howard while she was waiting for a flight at Los Angeles International Airport.  Around 10 a.m. that morning,  a Rusty’s Pizza employee  had discovered a critically injured female Pit Bull with hemorrhaged eyes in the dumpster. She was panting rapidly from pain. He call Kern County Animal Control, but by the time they arrived at the pizza chain’s East Bakersfield location, the poor dog had died. Surveillance footage captured a man wrapping the dog in a blanket around 2 a.m., but the man was hard to make out.

The dumpster is behind a locked solid metal gate with barbed wire over it, so it is unknown how the dog was placed in the dumpster unless he had a key. Kern County Animal Services’ veterinarian, who does not have forensics training, alleges that the dog was hit by a car. We believe the dog was intentionally hit in the head and left to die. Kern County Animal Services claims to be investigating the crime; no one has been able to identify the man in the video.

Ms. Howard discussed CAPS’ documentary entitled Animal Cruelty in Kern County, California and how the nonprofit is using it to try to get state funding for a countywide animal cruelty task force.  Melissa Hutton, a volunteer with Friends of Abandoned Dogs who appears in our documentary, took the reporter with her as she provided food and water to Kern County’s many unwanted dogs.

This story was one of a handful of ABC23 reports, generated by CAPS, on animal cruelty and abandonment in Kern County. 

As part of our extensive outreach efforts around the country, CAPS uses the services of Let it Be Known Public Relations, which specializes in nonprofit accounts. John Pellegrino, the owner of the agency, is responsible for the placement of CAPS’ spay/neuter PSA on a large number of Spanish and English television and radio stations. He has also been generating media coverage for our animal cruelty and shelter documentaries and contacted the news department of Univision 21 Fresno/39 Bakersfield.

As it turns out, the Univision reporter, Jessica Bedolla, is a volunteer for Kern County Animal Services. Her comprehensive news story on animal cruelty in Kern County included interviews with Ms. Howard,  who discussed the documentary and CAPS’ legislative work, and Yesenia Hernandez Giles. Ms. Hernandez Giles is a former volunteer with Friends of Abandoned Dogs who now works on her own. Ms. Bedolla went out with Ms. Hernandez Giles as she cared for the dogs. She told Ms. Bedolla that she had seem around 40 bags of dead animals just in the last half hour and thousands over the years she has been helping Kern County’s abandoned dogs.

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CAPS  has just released a short documentary entitled Animal Cruelty in Kern County, California, which exposes the horrible animal cruelty epidemic in California’s third largest county (by land area).

Kern County, California has a horrible animal cruelty epidemic, with shocking crimes against animals not being investigated or prosecuted. CAPS’ emails and calls to the district attorney and the deputy DA in charge of the Rural Crimes Investigation Unit have gone unanswered.

CAPS President Deborah Howard met last week with legislative directors, a chief of staff and a senate fellow for four of the five California legislators whose districts include Kern County. CAPS’ goal is to get special state funding for a desperately-needed countywide animal cruelty task force. The nonprofit will be developing a plan for this task force.

Former television reporter Paul Mueller featured the first trailer on his Facebook and Instagram  pages, which are dedicated to exposing animal cruelty and encouraging animal advocates to get involved in their communities. Howard did a two hour interview with Mueller on a TikTok Live about the documentary and other CAPS work.

CAPS has been partnering with Kern County Animal Services in Bakersfield, California for more than three years to help save the lives of at-risk abandoned dogs who end up in the shelter. The nonprofit’s efforts, which include a Petfinder page, have saved the lives of 346 dogs and six cats (cats are not at risk for euthanasia unless very ill or badly injured). Dogs have gone to adopters and rescues in Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, Alaska, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and throughout California.

CAPS is now using its social media outlets to promote the county’s low-cost and free spay/neuter services, with the Instagram and Facebook posts being advertised to reach more residents of Kern County. The nonprofit’s PSA about the important of spaying and neutering (Loving Our Animals Means Spaying and Neutering and Amar a Nuestros Animales Significa Esterilizar y Castrarlos) is airing on hundreds of English and Spanish language TV and radio stations around the country, with Bakersfield placements including Telemundo, Univision, Unimas, HC2, LATV and 23ABC

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Kern County, California has a horrible animal cruelty epidemic. The crimes happening there are shocking, and none of them are being investigated or prosecuted. CAPS’ emails and calls to the district attorney and the deputy DA in charge of the Rural Crime Investigation Unit have gone unanswered. CAPS is currently making a short documentary about Kern County’s animal cruelty in order to obtain state funding for a countywide animal cruelty task force. While it may be difficult for many of you to watch the trailer for this documentary, it is critical for us to witness the horrors so that we can take action.

Former television reporter Paul Mueller featured the trailer on his Facebook and Instagram  pages, which are dedicated to exposing animal cruelty and encouraging animal advocates to get involved in their communities. CAPS President Deborah Howard did a two hour interview with Paul on a TikTok Live about the documentary and other CAPS work.

How you can help:

Watch the trailer for a glimpse at the inhumane crimes being committed.

Share the trailer with friends and family.

Share CAPS’ social media posts about the trailer on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Donate today to help us with production costs for this documentary.

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Our undercover investigators went to pet shops and hard-to-infiltrate puppy mills across the country. CAPS used evidence from these investigations to advance and reinforce legislation in multiple states, including Michigan, Texas, and Florida. We released four new video exposés about pet shops, breeders, and brokers. And we featured many videos on social media and premiered a new documentary on internet puppy sales.

In California, CAPS has now saved more than 280 dogs from a high-kill shelter in Bakersfield, and we continue to shoot footage for a documentary about the crisis at the state’s municipal shelters. We also began shooting a documentary about animal cruelty in Kern County. Nationwide, our PSA on spaying and neutering (produced in both Spanish and English) aired on even more TV and radio stations this year.

These efforts and victories, made possible by your support, are just a few of our accomplishments in 2024. Please keep reading to learn more about the powerful achievements your donations have been generating.

New York

CAPS began its New York Pet Shop Campaign as a collaboration with the New York Attorney General to expose and crack down on consumer fraud at pet shops. But because of the strength of our evidence, we also worked with New York legislators for several years to pass a state law banning the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits. The legislation finally passed in 2022 and went into effect on December 15, 2024.

CAPS will be investigating any New York pet shops that are still selling puppies after the law takes effect, whether those stores are selling puppies outright or through fraudulent rescues. We will present any evidence we find to the New York Attorney General.

Our decade-plus of investigations in New York included multiple visits to the two Shake A Paw stores in Nassau County. We gave our evidence to the New York Attorney General, who filed a complaint to permanently enjoin the stores from operating and to seek restitution for defrauded customers. CAPS worked closely with the Deputy Attorney General in Charge of the Nassau County Office to help her prepare for the March trial, where she won $300,000 for 190 consumer victims.

Illinois

CAPS spent 13 years laying the groundwork for a statewide retail ban in Illinois, which went into effect in 2022. Pet shops can no longer sell dogs and cats; they can only offer animals from shelters and rescues. However, some pet shops are violating the law. CAPS recently investigated five Illinois pet shops, including a Petland, that are still selling puppies. Some of these stores are also using finance plans, which state law makes illegal. CAPS presented this evidence to the Illinois Attorney General and the Illinois Auditor General, both of whom informed us that they do not have jurisdiction over the Illinois Department of Agriculture, which was put in charge of enforcing the retail ban law.

Therefore, CAPS plans to soon investigate all five pet shops again, along with puppy mills supplying them, and present our findings to the media and to the general counsel to the governor.

California

In June, California State Senator Henry Stern honored CAPS President Deborah Howard as a Senate District 27 Woman of the Year, one of 19 women chosen from 1500 nominations. Senator Stern wants to sponsor our shelter reform legislation, and we look forward to working with him.

Since 2022, CAPS has been helping Kern County Animal Services in Bakersfield, CA, an overcrowded high-kill shelter with as many as 400 dogs and puppies. The dogs live in small kennels in metal warehouses with no outdoor runs. So far, our efforts have saved the lives of more than 280 dogs and one black cat. Twice in the summer of 2024, CAPS provided 10-pound blocks of ice for 150 of the kennels when inside temperatures were over 90 degrees.

CAPS is currently producing a short documentary about the overwhelming incidents of animal cruelty not being investigated or prosecuted in Kern County. The cruelty is not just limited to residents; law enforcement and even an animal control officer are also responsible. We plan to use this documentary to seek special state funding for a county animal cruelty task force.

CAPS is also still conducting interviews and shooting more video footage statewide for our documentary about the crisis at California’s municipal shelters. ABC7 in the San Francisco Bay Area recently featured some of our footage of San Jose Animal Care & Services. We will use the finished documentary to reach out to California legislators to sponsor a bill to establish a shelter licensing and inspection program.

Michigan

CAPS went undercover to all 13 of the pet shops in Michigan (and to breeders in Indiana and Ohio selling to them). The resulting video exposé reveals a shocking number of lies and misrepresentations at the pet shops, aimed at concealing the horrible puppy mills that supply their puppies. The evidence we gathered will be used to push for state legislation, sponsored by Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou, to ban the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits.

We also investigated three Michigan-based puppy mills, two of which definitely sell online but don’t have a required USDA license. Conditions at one of the facilities, run by Jennifer Drew, were so appalling that CAPS reported her to law enforcement.

Texas

CAPS has been investigating Texas pet shops and the mills supplying them to provide evidence for a retail ban bill that Rep. Jared Patterson is pursuing. So far, we have investigated 20 of Texas’ 28 pet shops Unfortunately, Texas passed a preemption bill, which prevents municipalities from passing retail ban ordinances unless the ordinances are already in place. That is why a state law is more critical than ever.

Our investigation of unlicensed puppy mills in Texas also helped bring about new legislation that lowered the threshold of dogs allowed before a breeder must obtain a state license. Dog or cat breeders with at least five breeding females now have to be licensed and inspected if their animals are bred for direct or indirect sales. CAPS worked closely with the Texas Humane Legislation Network to make this happen.

Beyond this, we have partnered with the Texas Attorney General’s Office on a consumer fraud case against the seven Petland stores, two of which are run by notorious Petland franchise owner Luis Marquez, who also has stores in Florida and Kansas. Our investigator also investigated Marquez’ Petland franchise in Houston during the time he continued to sell puppies in violation of the city’s retail ban ordinance. We provided this evidence to the city, which had to take legal action against Marquez to stop the sale of puppies; the store ultimately closed for good.

Florida

CAPS has been laying the groundwork for pet shop ordinances in Florida, which currently has 68 pet shops, surpassing New York as the number one pet shop state. Over the last six years, CAPS has gone to at least 60 Florida pet shops to gather evidence in support of retail ban ordinances. We will soon be investigating more of the puppy mills that supply pet shops in Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

By coordinating with animal-friendly commissioners in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties, CAPS is pushing for ordinances in these municipalities to ban the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits. Despite CAPS compelling investigative evidence, Pinellas County’s commissioners passed an ordinance that grandfathered in six pet shops.

CAPS also worked with the Tampa Bay Times and other media to provide investigative evidence on the pet shop Sunshine Puppies in Largo, as well as its supplier, Missouri-based Pinnacle Pet, and many of the breeders who have sold puppies to Pinnacle Pet. SPCA Tampa Bay was partnering with Sunshine Puppies to provide veterinary care to store puppies. In addition, the shelter started a program with Pinnacle Pet in March to offer breeding dogs for adoption. One adopter paid an adoption fee of $700 for a Cocker Spaniel who suffers from trauma. SPCA Tampa Bay was also planning to offer “imperfect” puppy mill puppies from Pinnacle breeders for adoption.

Due to media coverage and outrage from the local community, the shelter has suspended both the veterinary care and puppy mill dog adoption programs

In January and April, CAPS President Deborah Howard appeared on Talking Animals, a nationally streaming show on NPR affiliate WMNF in Tampa. She answered questions from callers, many of whom were upset about puppy-selling pet shops in their communities and about SPCA Tampa’s partnerships with a broker and a pet shop.

Breeders and Brokers

A CAPS Investigation of Pinnacle Pet wasn’t the only broker exposé we produced this year. CAPS also produced a video about Blue Ribbon Puppies, run, but no longer owned, by Levi Graber in Odon, Indiana.  Nevada-based Cinco Rios, LLC has owned Blue Ribbon Puppies since 2015. The president of Cinco Rios is Steven Rook, the son-in-law of Andrew Hunte, who was the founder and president of The Hunte Corporation. Rook had been president of Hunte prior to and up to Andrew’s death in 2015. Select Puppies in Iowa subsequently bought Hunte and dissolved the corporation.

CAPS’s lead investigator worked undercover at Hunte for six months in 2004 and also investigated around 50 breeders selling to them. At that time, Hunte was the largest dog brokerage facility in the country.

Under the title CAPS Investigator’s Journal, our lead investigator writes comprehensive blogs for our website. Among the blogs he wrote in 2024 are those on dog brokers and Amish puppy mils.

Internet Breeders and Sellers

Many of the horrible USDA-licensed breeders that CAPS has investigated are now selling online. We have also found numerous unlicensed breeders selling over the internet, which is a violation of the Animal Welfare Act. As usual, the USDA is not enforcing the law.

To bring awareness to this issue, CAPS released a much needed new documentary this year about internet breeders and sellers (those who buy from mills but don’t breed). The documentary includes undercover footage of mills that sell online and interviews with customers who bought sick and dying puppies online from sites like Craigslist and PuppyFind.com. Nothing else like this has ever been produced.

Spay and Neuter PSA and National Latino Outreach

CAPS’ PSA about spaying and neutering is now airing on hundreds of local television and radio stations nationwide. As part of our National Latino Outreach Campaign, our primary focus is on obtaining wide distribution for the Spanish version.

The English version is also airing in some parts of the country, and we are really excited to announce that CNN is now airing the PSA nationally. The CNN placement has resulted in numerous calls and messages from viewers seeking information on low cost spay and neuter resources.

CAPS, as the nonprofit that pioneered the ordinance movement, is pouring its expertise and resources into banning the retail sale of animals across the United States through local ordinances and statewide laws. And we are now using our investigative, legislative, and videomaking expertise to address animal overpopulation and shelter overcrowding through our spay and neuter, shelter reform, and animal cruelty initiatives.

But the key to success in all of these arenas is evidence.

Legislators need to see irrefutable proof of what’s going on in order to be persuaded into taking meaningful action. This is why the thoroughness of our investigations and video production is so critical. And it’s why we continue to need your help.

None of our nationwide efforts would succeed without your committed support. Please donate today. Millions of companion animals are currently suffering as a result of mills, shelters, and abandonment. With your assistance, we can make real changes and put an end to this intolerable cycle of animal abuse.

The post CAPS 2024 Efforts and Accomplishments appeared first on Companion Animal Protection Society.

A pink dog house and bowls were the first items that caught Melissa’s eye. Then she saw the lifeless bodies of the female Bulldogs, one of whom had been shot in the head, thrown out like trash on the side of Muller Road in East Bakersfield, adjacent to orchards. Refuse was littered among the bodies, including a vest for San Bernardino-based Mowbray’s Tree Service.

Melissa, a dedicated volunteer with Friends of Abandoned Dogs, sadly, has seen numerous dead dogs along the many roads she travels to provide food and water to the abandoned dogs of Kern County. Yesenia, a former FAD volunteer who now works independently, often tends to the animals on Muller Rd, which she calls The Graveyard because of the many dead animals she encounters along the road – dogs, cats, roosters, and even cows. Yesenia recently did an interview with 23ABC in Bakersfield about the dead Bulldogs, which mostly likely were used for breeding, and the numerous deceased animals she has seen along Muller Road.

CAPS has worked with 23ABC in Bakersfield on five stories about animal cruelty and abandonment in Kern County. But none of these stories have questioned animal control, the sheriff’s department, and the district attorney’s office about why the pervasive and horrific animal cruelty in Kern County never gets investigated and prosecuted.

CAPS is making a short documentary about animal cruelty in Kern County to try to get state funding for a county cruelty task force. Please donate today to help us fund the making of this critical documentary.

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On June 28, 2024, California State Senator Henry Stern honored CAPS President Deborah Howard as a Senate District 27 Woman of the Year. She was one of 19 women chosen from 1500 nominations and the only one who does national work. This impressive group of women is now holding monthly Zoom meetings to help one another with initiatives. Some of the women run nonprofits that do political work, such as for climate change, and have offered to help CAPS with state animal legislation.

Sen. Stern, is the first millennial elected to the California Senate. His district goes from Thousand Oaks, where CAPS is located, to Sherman Oaks, where Deborah grew up with actor parents. He is the son of actor Daniel Stern, who was one of the burglars in Home Alone and was the voice of the adult Kevin in The Wonder Years.

At the four-hour event, Sen. Stern gave a speech about each honored woman before she spoke. Deborah presented Sen Stern with a CAPS cap. Afterwards, Senator Stern told Deborah that he is “up for a fight” and wants to sponsor CAPS’ shelter reform legislator. CAPS is joining with recently formed groups, composed of rescues and animal advocates, to go up against the California Animal Welfare Association (CalAnimals), the powerful lobbying organization representing all of the shelters in the state.

CalAnimals’ members include private wealthy shelters like San Francisco SPCA and Humane Society of Silicon Valley, underfunded municipal facilities , such as Kern County Animal Services (KCAS) and Devore Animal Shelter (San Bernardino County), and mismanaged but adequately funded municipal shelters, such as Los Angeles Animal Services, Orange County Animal Care, and San Jose Animal Care. CalAnimals, which works arduously to defeat legislation affecting shelters, refunded CAPS’ affiliate membership fee after we complained about inhumane conditions at KCAS and Devore.

Senator Stern is also going to help CAPS reach state legislators representing Kern County so we can obtain funding for an animal cruelty task force.  Assemblymember Miguel Santiago’s legislative director has already provided contact information for legislative directors working for senators and assemblymembers representing Kern County.

You can learn more about CAPS’ shelter reform efforts in California, see the trailer for our upcoming documentary, The Crisis at California’s Municipal Shelters, and donate to help with the funding for this documentary here

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