Altadena gets animal control officer

This message from Lori Paul has been making the rounds of newsgroups:

Dear Neighbors & Trail Users,

Most of you are aware of the dismal service Altadena has long
experienced from L. A. County Animal Care & Control's distant Baldwin
Park Animal Shelter. For years our calls have been routed to a
general Distpatch number that often disconnects callers or fails to
reach the proper authorities, even in an emergency. Baldwin Park
Animal Shelter seldom responds to calls in less than a few hours or
fails to show up at all. Many animals have suffered and died
needlessly as a result.

While many chronic policy and enforcement problems remain, Altadena
now has a dedicated Animal Control officer, Sgt. Villegas. The Sgt
was assigned to Altadena in response to numerous, vociferous
complaints made at one of Supervisor Antonovich's town hall meetings.
We have the Supervisor to thank for funding and ordering Animal Care
& Control to provide a dedicated animal regulation officer and truck
for our community. Sgt. Villegas is now located in Altadena during
day time hours several days a week.

It is interesting to note that few in Altadena know about this
change. Fewer still know that the new officer can be reached
directly. I'm sure Baldwin Park Animal Shelter would prefer matters
to stay that way. That's about to change... You may reach Sgt.
Villegas directly as follows:

Sgt Luis A Villegas
Los Angeles County Animal Care & Control, Baldwin Park Animal
Shelter, Officer in Altadena
(Office) 626-430-2378
(Cell) 626-290-3635
(Fax) 626-960-8223
Direct e-mail address: altadena@animalcare.lacounty.gov

The time is long overdue for Baldwin Park Animal Shelter to provide
Altadena animals with the emergency care and enforcement of humane
laws that they deserve.

Important Note: If an emergency or nuisance involves a wild animal
at a residence or on the trail, do NOT call Baldwin Park Animal
Shelter. Continue to call Pasadena Humane Society. Pasadena Humane
Society is far closer than Baldwin Park Animal Shelter, responsive,
and more qualified to assist an orphaned, sick, or injured wild
animal. County Animal Shelters euthanize all wild animals taken into
custody, healthy or not, and seldom tell a caller that fact. Instead,
the skunk, snake, raccoon, bird or other wild animal that is picked
up or live trapped will be transported back to the shelter and
killed, out of sight and out of public knowledge.

Our local County Fire Dept. will respond to rattlesnake calls because
Baldwin Park Animal Shelter is too far away and often fails to
respond; however, by County policy the Fire Dept is also required to
kill all snakes instead of relocating and releasing them.

These bad wildlife policies need to be changed; however, until they
are, Pasadena Humane Society will assist wild animals and then
release them whenever possible, even in Altadena outside their area
of service:

Pasadena Humane Society
(626) 792.7151 (24 hours per day, 7 days per week)
www.phsspca.org
361 S Raymond Ave
Pasadena, CA 91105

If you take a wild bird or other animal to Pasadena Humane Society,
please thank them for their generous humane policy and consider
making a small donation to offset the uncompensated cost of care for
the animal you are dropping off.

Keep this contact info handy for future reference. You won't find
Altadena's animal shelter officer listed anywhere nor will you be
given his name and direct contact information if you call Animal Care
& Control Dispatch.

Lori L. Paul, RVT