Animal welfare campaigners have raised concerns about alleged puppy sales and the conditions facing animals at a large homeless encampment beneath an overpass in Arleta, Los Angeles County.
Dogs, cats and kittens were seen living among rubbish, discarded furniture, copper wire and makeshift shelters at the site. Several residents appeared to leave when a television crew arrived, while others described the area as their home.
The encampment includes improvised living spaces with televisions, washing machines, furniture and generators. One resident, who identified herself as J, said she had lived there for almost two years and that people shared generators to power their makeshift homes.
Animal advocates allege illegal puppy sales
Victoriah Bech-Parker and other members of the group Starts With One Today said they had been called to the site after receiving reports that puppies were being sold for between $45 and $100.
The claims have not been independently verified. Los Angeles law prohibits the sale or transfer of dogs and cats in public places without the required permits, with specific rules also applying to puppies and kittens under six months old.
Several animals were observed at the encampment, including a dog which appeared to have recently given birth. J said another dog was pregnant and rejected the suggestion that the site amounted to a puppy mill.
“No. They just need a nice home,” she said, adding that one dog had given birth about a week earlier.
J also showed the crew the cramped area beneath the roadway, where at least a dozen people were said to be living. “Look at this, how crowded it is. This is how we live, you know,” she said.
Animal advocates said they were particularly worried about disease and poor sanitation. Jonathan Parker, a co-founder of Starts With One Today, claimed residents had reported cases of parvovirus among the dogs and said some puppies had died.
Those reports have not been independently confirmed. Parvovirus is highly contagious and can be especially dangerous to young dogs.
Calls for city intervention
Bech-Parker alleged that people at the encampment were breeding and selling dogs near a tiny homes shelter for homeless residents. The claim, along with the wider allegations about the site, remains unproven.
Joey Tuccio, another advocate with Starts With One Today, said campaigners had attempted to alert city officials and were seeking action over conditions affecting both residents and animals.
“It’s scary for the people, it’s scary for the women, it’s scary for the dogs. We’re here to just get the city to do something about it,” he said.
Tuccio said the homelessness crisis affected communities across Los Angeles, including Pacoima, Van Nuys, Venice and Skid Row, but described the Arleta site as one of the worst he had seen.
Los Angeles City Council member Imelda Padilla’s office was contacted for comment about the encampment and the alleged puppy sales, but had not responded at the time of publication.
