Los Angeles is killing more shelter animals than ever, spending money to euthanize instead of enforcing preventative measures, the California Post has learned.<\/p>\n
A staggering 2,172 sheltered cats, kittens and dogs were killed through May of this year \u2014 compared to 1,630 during the same period in 2025 \u2014 a 33% increase, according to LA Animal Service statistics<\/a>.<\/p>\n The same data shows the euthanasia rates increased 27% between May 2025 and May 2026 alone.<\/p>\n Mayor Karen Bass\u2019 original 2026 budget eliminated funding for a $1.6 million dog enrichment program that provides exercise and socialization for shelter dogs. Instagram\/pawpals_southlashelter<\/p>\n Rescue advocates argue investing in spay-and-neuter programs would reduce overcrowding. Instagram\/@ pawpals_southlashelter<\/p>\n Across social media, it\u2019s become nearly impossible to scroll without seeing another desperate plea from rescue groups trying to get dogs on the city\u2019s \u201ckill list\u201d into a loving home.<\/p>\n \u201cFinal Notice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLast Chance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNeeds a foster today or will be euthanized.\u201d<\/p>\n A person sitting on a street with their dog next to a loaded shopping cart. Rafael Fontoura for CA Post<\/p>\n A black chihuahua runs on a trash-strewn street. Rafael Fontoura for CA Post<\/p>\n Two men and a dog at a homeless encampment in Skid Row. Rafael Fontoura for CA Post<\/p>\n A homeless woman with a cart carrying two dogs and two large water bottles. Rafael Fontoura for CA Post<\/p>\n Those emergency posts have become a part of daily life for Adelle Smener, the founder of Big Dog Energy and a volunteer at the West Los Angeles Animal Shelter<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve never had dogs put on the kill list like we do now,\u201d Smener told The Post, adding volunteering has changed dramatically over the past year. <\/p>\n A woman pushes a shopping cart with a dog walking beside her on a trash-filled sidewalk. Rafael Fontoura for CA Post<\/p>\n A man and his dog stand under a blue canopy on a sidewalk filled with various belongings, while another man works on a bicycle nearby. Rafael Fontoura for CA Post<\/p>\n A woman feeds a black dog while a man holding plastic bags of dog food watches. Rafael Fontoura for CA Post<\/p>\n \u201cThe second a dog gets put on the euthanasia list, it\u2019s pedal to the metal. We\u2019re networking, texting everyone. It\u2019s beyond stressful because it feels like that dog\u2019s life is in our hands,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Rescue groups mounted frantic campaigns to save Tiberio, a dog at South LA Animal Shelter, flooding social media with pleas for a foster before his euthanasia deadline. <\/p>\n Despite the effort, he was euthanized.<\/p>\n A homeless dog lies among scattered belongings on a sidewalk in Skid Row. Rafael Fontoura for CA Post<\/p>\n Los Angeles city animal shelters are preparing to euthanize dogs to ease severe overcrowding. Instagram\/pawpals_southlashelter<\/p>\n Another dog, Gotham, sparked a similar last-minute rescue push before volunteers announced he, too, had been euthanized. The two dogs have become symbols of a shelter system they say is out of options.<\/p>\n Rescue organizations say the city\u2019s failure to prevent uncontrolled animal breeding in Skid Row is a big part of the problem.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \u201cCity and county shelters are euthanizing massive numbers of dogs because there is no meaningful prevention being implemented by our city or county,\u201d Shira Astroff, founder of The Animal Rescue Mission, told The Post.<\/p>\n \u201cThe city needs to start taking this crisis seriously. More and more animals are dying. Prevention is far cheaper than warehousing animals in overcrowded shelters or euthanizing healthy dogs simply because there\u2019s no space left.\u201d<\/p>\n Numerous dogs on Instagram are listed by rescue groups in need of last minute saving. Instagram\/pawpals_southlashelter<\/p>\n Astroff and other animal advocates argue Los Angeles has spent years investing in programs that respond to overcrowded shelters rather than preventing unwanted litters in the first place. <\/p>\n They say that approach has left shelters trapped in a cycle of taking in more animals than they can safely house.<\/p>\n For example in the 2024-25 fiscal year, Los Angeles budgeted $5.285 million for a high-volume spay-and-neuter program that brought veterinarians into city shelters to sterilize large numbers of animals quickly and at low cost. <\/p>\n But the City has replaced the high-volume program with a voucher system that pays private veterinary clinics for individual spay-and-neuter surgeries, which means fewer animals are sterilized.<\/p>\n Los Angeles city animal shelters are preparing to euthanize dogs to ease severe overcrowding. Instagram\/pawpals_southlashelter<\/p>\n Animal advocates argue the city\u2019s budget priorities have focused on managing overcrowded shelters rather than preventing the crisis in the first place.<\/p>\n