SUN VALLEY : Officers Seize 140 Animals From Kennel

Mary Lou Rossignol says it all started many years ago behind Canter’s deli in the Fairfax district, where she lived with about a dozen dogs and cats that she had taken in.

Rossignol’s animal family grew steadily over the next 20 years and eventually she settled in an industrial stretch of Sun Valley to start her own kennel. But animal control officials broke up the family Friday in a morning raid, seizing about 140 animals--including several rabbits, geese and goats.

“The owner obviously has a tremendous love for the animals,” said Los Angeles Councilman Richard Alarcon, who asked the City Council to free up funds for animal control to hire additional animal health specialists to treat the animals. “I think she might be blinded by her love. . . . These conditions are horrendous.”

Last month, animal control officers doing a routine permit inspection found that Rossignol was not feeding or watering some of her charges and was keeping others in her bungalow behind the kennel, said Lt. Robert Pena of the city’s Animal Regulation Department.

A few animals in extremely poor condition were confiscated after the first visit, Pena said. The rest were picked up Friday, as Rossignol watched, horrified.

“I feel like I’ve been totally violated,” she said. “These are my babies and I want them back, every single one of them.”

Animal health officials said that although none of the animals appeared to have any life-threatening ailments, several were plagued with chronic conditions such as ear infections that had gone untreated. Dogs, roosters and goats watched from their wire cages as animal control officers and reporters picked their way through the dung-splattered kennel grounds. Inside Rossignol’s home, cats lay on top of toaster ovens and several dogs frolicked on her bed.

The scene at Mary Lou’s Dogpatch Kennel is probably not that uncommon, Pena said, adding that many kennel owners probably take in more animals than they can handle. He added that Rossignol may face misdemeanor or felony charges of animal neglect and cruelty.