Closure of Kennel Creates Confusion at City Shelters

Sure, you love your pet. It has its own unique personality and does that cute little trick with the ball of yarn.

But do you know your pet well enough to pick it out of hundreds of other furry critters cramped into cages and kennels?

That is the predicament facing people who boarded their pets with an animal rescue facility in Van Nuys that was raided and shut down last month by the city Animal Services Department.

Doris Romeo, the owner of the Pets for Life facility, was arrested on charges of cruelty and neglect for keeping the animals in what authorities called deplorable conditions. Animal Services officials confiscated all 617 cats and dogs at the facility.

Now the Animal Services Department wants pet owners who boarded their pets with Romeo to come claim them from city shelters.

But it may not be easy to find or identify the pets among the hundreds of animals kept at three city shelters in Chatsworth, North Hollywood and Lincoln Heights.

The Animal Services Department has no system to locate a specific animal. In fact, the department is not even sure how many of the 617 animals have owners and how many were strays.

The department is giving owners between today and Aug. 16 to claim their pets. Owners must show veterinary records, photographs or some other proof of ownership before the animals are released. To date, about a dozen people have claimed their pets.

Sadly, some owners may never find their pets because nearly 200 of the confiscated animals have since been euthanized after they were diagnosed with serious health problems, such as intestinal parasites or chronic viral infections.

To reunite with their pets, owners must make an appointment with an animal shelter worker, who will help the owner with the search.

After Aug. 16, the animals that have not been claimed will be available for adoption. The department will not release feral animals because they are considered dangerous.

Dena Mangiamele, the department’s chief veterinarian, said the department will try to keep the animals in the shelter for up to four or five weeks.

To make an appointment to view the animals, call the East Valley Animal Services Center at (818) 756-8445; the West Valley Animal Services Center at (818) 756-8485; or the North Central Animal Services Center at (213) 485-5765.