Nonprofit helps rescue Skid Row's dogs
Rescuing dogs from Skid Row
After a woman lost her housing, the nonprofit Starts with One Today helped her rehome more than a dozen dogs that she could no longer take care of. While this situation had a happy ending, the organization said there are many other less positive situations for pets on Los Angeles' Skid Row.
LOS ANGELES - Video posted on Instagram captured the moment rescuers from a Skid Row-based nonprofit made a jarring discovery during one of their weekly events: a U-Haul van filled with 18 dogs and puppies.
In the video, Victoriah Bech Parker, Founder of Starts With One Today/Paws In Skid Row, counted the pups out loud. The dogs’ owner — who didn’t want to be identified — had received assistance from the nonprofit for years, and approached them for help.
The dogs’ owner said she recently lost her housing and became overwhelmed when one of her dogs gave birth to 11 puppies in one litter. She took care of them for as long as she could, and loves them all dearly.
Bech Parker and her team at Paws In Skid Row jumped into action; securing foster homes for most of the pups within 24 hours. They coordinated a meeting spot in a parking lot in South LA where the emotional hand-off took place as it rained Monday evening.
The dogs’ owner wept as the dogs were taken out of the U-Haul. She described them as her "family."
The nonprofit’s founders said this was a positive outcome, but highlighted the harsh reality many animals on Skid Row face.
"We’ve had dogs that were close to getting their legs amputated, we’ve seen dogs that have ingested drugs," Bech Parker said. She believes many of the animals on Skid Row are used as currency for drugs and sex; not companionship.
"The bottom line is that there’s a big misconception that homeless people and their companions is what the problem is. That is not the problem. The problem is that there are drug users [and] mentally ill people who are using animals for their gain," she said.
"The majority of these animals are bred over and over over, and they’re exchanged for a hit of crack, or $10. Their life has very little value," said Jennifer Sims, Co-Founder of Starts With One Today/Paws In Skid Row.
As of Monday night, three of the puppies from the U-Haul were still available to foster or adopt, including a blind chihuahua. "If you have space, please open your heart - having a dog is by far the best decision you could ever make, especially a rescue dog," said Bech Parker.
More information on how to foster or adopt the dogs can be found on Starts With One Today's website here, or their Instagram page, here.