Starvation, Illness, and Freezing Temperatures…a Recipe for Certain Death as Animals Are Left to Their Own Defense.

This week several animal rescues and advocates from Central and Southern California caravanned to a property ("the compound") located in a remote area within the city of Lancaster, California. Their mission; save lives. Over one hundred dogs, dozens of cats, chickens and tortoises had been surviving with little to no care. Decaying carcasses were left to be consumed by the animals, stagnant, green and black water and bread covered in feces and flies were the only sources of sustenance, medical care was never a consideration. In a matter of hours through postings on Facebook, and urgent phone calls rescuers were made aware of the desperate situation. Nine vehicles and twenty five caring individuals arrived the next day, only then did the animals ever stand a chance at survival.

After several days of no action from local authorities, No Stray Left Behind, a non-profit dog rescue located in Ontario, CA and several other animal rescuers took action on their own. The remains of over twenty five dead dogs were removed; large barrels of dog food and numerous bags of cat food were donated and brought to the site. Rescuers ascended upon the property to do whatever was needed for the animals. Immediately upon arriving cries were heard from puppies found lying on a filthy blanket in a fly infested dog crate. In a corner of the crate lay the decaying, tiny lifeless body of a female pup less than two weeks old, her litter mates squirming and crying out just inches away. The pups were dehydrated, extremely hungry, very lethargic, bloated and distended bellies and on the brink of death themselves. At the end of a long arduous day full of emotion, over fifty dogs and dozens of cats had been given food, fresh water, medical attention, soft clean blankets and placed lovingly in crates to be taken to safe havens. Over thirty dogs still remained at the compound; there were not enough crates and vehicles to get them all. The next day more rescuers came to the site to provide the same care and rescue for the remaining animals. At least ten of the rescued dogs were pregnant; three more had litters from two to four weeks old. Dogs were missing their eyes where they had sustained injuries from coyote attacks, while another hopped around on three legs as one leg was missing its paw. A resident of the compound was asked what happened to the dog's paw the response was that the dogs leg had been ran over by a car and that her mom, who also lived on the compound "tried to stuff it back together" to heal allow the foot to heal "but the foot part just fell off".

These animals were the result of hoarding. The deplorable conditions the animals were living in, the disease infested water, lack of nutrition and veterinary care led to horrible deaths for many and dozens more are in need of emergency aid. No Stray Left Behind is a 501(c)(3)non-profit animal rescue serving southern California; their operation is funded through tax deductible donations. For information on how you can help with food contributions, veterinary care donations, volunteering or becoming a foster parent to these and other animals in need please contact the rescue at www.nostrayleftbehind.com. A pay pal account has been set up on the site to accept monetary donations.

If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Sandy McKay or Carrie Erskine, please call 951-692-8341 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it