ASPCA Commends L.A. County for Passing Motion to Create More Pet-Friendly Housing

LOS ANGELES– The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) commended the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for approving a motion that requires all county-financed housing to allow residents to have pets. Sponsored by Supervisors Hilda L. Solis and Kathryn Barger, this motion will ensure pets and families can stay together as well as reduce shelter intake rates by removing housing barriers for low-income and homeless pet owners. A similar motion was unanimously approved by the L.A. City Council last year.

“Devoted pet owners who are willing and able to care for their pet should not be forced to make the impossible decision between giving up their beloved pet or maintaining a place to live,” said Susan Riggs, senior director of state legislation for the ASPCA, Western region. “We are grateful to Supervisors Solis and Barger for moving this policy forward to open up more pet-friendly housing options in the county and providing much needed relief to lower-income pet owners.”

A national study conducted by the ASPCA revealed that those who rent are more likely to need to rehome their pets for housing issues than for any other reason. In L.A. County, housing was a reason given for roughly 24 percent of dog surrenders and 20 percent of cat surrenders between 2016 and 2018. This adds up to nearly 7,500 dogs and cats being surrendered to shelters each year for housing issues in Los Angeles alone.

The ASPCA operates a fully-subsidized spay/neuter clinic in South Los Angeles, along with two mobile clinics that provide no-cost spay/neuter and basic veterinary care services in Los Angeles. As of June 2018, the ASPCA has performed 50,000 surgeries out of the standalone clinic and mobile units. In addition to the South Los Angeles clinic in the City, the ASPCA is stationed at two of the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control’s Animal Care Centers with the goal to increase accessibility of resources to pet-owning families, and as a result, improve the welfare of L.A.’s animals and help keep pets and people together.

For more information about the ASPCA or to join the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade, please visit www.aspca.org.