LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Two local nonprofits are raising allegations of severe animal abuse in Los Angeles' Skid Row, and calling on the federal government to intervene due to what they call the inadequate response of local officials.

The legal nonprofit Advancing Law for Animals sent a letter to U.S. officials including Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche last week, alleging mutilation, neglect and illegal breeding, mostly involving dogs.

"On behalf of my client, Starts with One Today, I am writing to inform your offices of ongoing felony animal abuse and other violations of federal law taking place in Central City East, Los Angeles, commonly known as Skid Row. We respectfully request that you take swift and decisive action to enforce the law where local officials have refused in order to combat animal cruelty and other criminal and violent activity," the letter states.

" ... Starts with One Today, an advocacy and rescue organization, has documented dogs with their eyes and genitals glued together, broken bones, mutilated paws, and overdosed on drugs. Whistleblower accounts reveal that illegal breeding on Skid Row, among other things, fuels a dog trafficking pipeline for animal fighting in Las Vegas, capitalizes on the public craze for purebred dogs, and facilitates drug sales."

The letter goes on to allege that conditions "observed by my client and broadly captured by the media appear inconsistent with minimum standards of care, including requirements for structurally sound housing and safe confinement, minimum space requirements for primary enclosures to allow each dog to stand, turn around, and lie down comfortably, provision of adequate veterinary care, and the maintenance of sufficient food, potable water, sanitation, and protection from environmental hazards."

In addition to Blanche, the letter was also sent to FBI Director Kash Patel, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

Vanessa Shakib of Advancing Law for Animals told City News Service that she and Starts with One Sunday -- a nonprofit dedicated to helping the animal community on Skid Row -- were engaged in ongoing talks with federal officials.

"Yesterday, my client and I had a productive and collaborative first meeting with representatives from various branches of the DOJ, and are continuing the conversation," Shakib told CNS on Saturday.

She also said the group's Joey Tuccio, who documents alleged acts of animal cruelty and often posts videos and photos online, has repeatedly reached out to elected officials about the problem, including Mayor Karen Bass, the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Animal Services.

"As part of these ongoing efforts, my client ran a petition that gained tens of thousands of signatures demanding a meeting with Mayor Bass to discuss the animal abuse on Skid Row. Despite this public support, Mayor Bass ignored the request," Shakib told CNS. "Since September 2024, my client has repeatedly asked Councilmember (Ysabel) Jurado to come to Skid Row to see the animal abuse and neglect. While she was running for office, her response was enthusiastic. But once elected, she ghosted my client.

"In 2025 ... (Bass) created an animal-welfare pilot program, sometimes referred to as an animal task force. But that effort was not only too little, too late -- it was window dressing. It had one publicized bust, then went silent. Multiple officers have since told my client the initiative was temporary and disbanded, or had no knowledge of it at all. My client regularly calls LAAS and LAPD for help. One of the last times Joey Tuccio called LAAS to alert them of an illegal breeder active on Skid Row, they ignored his concern and said he was calling for `social media likes.'

"My client has deep respect for LAPD, but the response to curbing animal cruelty has been minimal," Shakib continued. "The last time my client called LAPD to report animal neglect, four officers arrived, each with a different understanding of Mayor Bass' `animal task force,' and ultimately took no action."

The Mayor's Press Office strongly disputed that characterization.

"Complaints can be filed by anyone, regardless of their validity," a spokesman for the mayor told CNS on Sunday. "The reality is, Mayor Bass took office after years of inaction on Skid Row, and while others avoided this challenge, she has taken it on. Under her leadership, more than 100 LAPD officers have been specially trained to recognize and respond to animal cruelty. Animals have been rescued, citations and arrests have been made, and abuse cases have been sent to the district attorney and city attorney. The Mayor's Office is working closely with animal welfare partners to bring additional veterinary care and other resources to the area.

"Mayor Bass also appointed a new general manager for the LA Animal Services department and secured a first-of-its-kind $14 million grant from the ASPCA and Best Friends Animal Society to strengthen the city's shelter system. Her commitment to the issue is personal -- last year, she rescued a dog named Kirby from a city shelter."

Dr. Kwane Stewart, co-founder of Project Street Vet, which provides free veterinary care to animals in Los Angeles homeless communities, also disputed some of the more startling claims by Advancing Law for Animals and Tuccio.

"I'm hearing that dogs by the thousands in these homeless areas are being killed ... by way of being burned and mutilated and having Nazi-like experiments, and they're testing all their drugs on them and it's just some rampant breeding operation. No. No," Stewart said in a Facebook post.

"Granted, I can only tell you what I've seen and observed, but this is 15 years on Skid Row that's talking to you. ... I've not diagnosed or assessed a dog that's been intentionally fed drugs. I've heard accounts, and I don't discount it, because I haven't seen everything, but is this happening every day, all the time? No. I've never seen a dog that's been dissected, or had some experiment done on it, and I haven't seen dogs that are burned," Stewart added. "Now how about abuse? Have I seen abuse on Skid Row? I have, I have, but know that I've seen abuse anywhere anyone owns a dog."

The LAPD did not reply to a request for comment sent this weekend. Representatives for Jurado and Los Angeles Animal Services also did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Gary and Shannon

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