LA animal shelter employee mauled by dog
SAN PEDRO, Calif. - Concern about overcrowding at LA animal shelters is growing after an employee was mauled by a dog while on the job.
Kennel supervisor Leslie Corea was attacked by a pitbull mix on May 31 after opening the dog's cage for a rescue group. The dog isn't new to the bars of the Harbor shelter and neither is Corea… she's spent 24 years at the city shelter.
Her right leg was severely damaged. She'll now undergo extensive physical therapy and unfortunately, the dog will be euthanized.
Workers say the attack spotlights the growing crisis of overcrowding at local shelters because of illegal breeding, COVID returns, housing restrictions and situations like this.
RELATED: Activists claim LA animal shelters euthanize healthy dogs due to overcrowded shelters
The shelters operate under a no-kill policy and despite denying the allegations, silenced volunteers say adoptable animals are euthanized for space.
"The staff members and the volunteers would ask me to speak up because they can't. If they speak up, they get terminated. And just be honest, have a list of these are the dogs we're killing for space. These are the dogs that have actual behavior and then people can actually trust," said animal rescuer and activist Shira Scott Astrof.
The department says it has the capacity to safely and humanely care for about 800 dogs at a time, but currently there are nearly twice that and about 50 new dogs coming in every day.
L.A. Animal Services acknowledged the severity of the attack and issued the following statement, "LA Animal Services has already launched an investigation into this incident. Due to the open investigation status of this incident and to protect the privacy of the staff involved, no further details are available at this time."
Animal Services is asking for the communities' help to control this growing crisis by donating, fostering, and adopting.
On June 22, they are hosting the event Big Dog Walk for Life and are asking people to come to shelters and help walk dogs from 8 a.m. to noon. The event is available at all six locations. More information can be found online.