As Los Angeles continues to face major troubles from its homeless population, a new issue is bubbling to the surface—animals are being abused on Skid Row.
In the city run by Mayor Karen Bass, Skid Row, the 50-block district in downtown, is home to almost 4,000 homeless Californians.
Not only are the residents plagued with crime, trash, drugs, and medical emergencies, but animal advocates say pets are experiencing abuse as well.
“He was dissecting the dog’s leg,” Joey Tuccio, a volunteer with the nonprofit group Starts With One Today, told The Daily Signal, referencing an incident he encountered on Skid Row.
According to Tuccio, the dog had a leg that was badly infected, and the owner attempted to treat the injury.
“The dog’s leg was rotting so bad that it ended up needing an amputation,” he said. “We took him, and now he’s adopted, but we found out later that his owner, who was severely on drugs, was seen trying to dissect his leg with tweezers. We see things like this happen all the time.”
According to other animal advocates, this was not an isolated incident.
“[Dogs are being] force-bred, sold, and starved. They are infected, fought, and being raped by humans—yes, they are being raped by humans on our city streets,” Rebecca Corry, executive director of Stand Up for Pits Foundation, said during a hearing at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Corry’s nonprofit is suing the City of Los Angeles, Bass, the Los Angeles Police Department, and others over what it described as “the unethical treatment of animals in city shelters and on downtown’s Skid Row.” According to information obtained by TMZ in December, the lawsuit alleges the city has failed to enforce its animal cruelty statutes.
Tuccio said he agrees with Corry about the severity of the abuse, noting “it’s an incredibly huge issue.” Last week he posted photos on social media that showed dogs that are suffering from neglect.
Tuccio relayed multiple incidents to show just how desperate animal abuse on Skid Row can get, including dogs that have overdosed by accidentally ingesting drugs.
“I was sent a video someone captured of a homeless man beating his dog. I sent it to the police and animal control, and I think they just gave him a citation. That was it.”
The animal welfare volunteer said he has sent reports of abuse to police and animal control, but the group’s volunteers often have to address the immediate urgency of the situations.
“Sometimes sadly, it’s so urgent that we just have to remove the dog ourselves,” Tuccio said. “But most of the time we do call animal control and the police first. Sadly, we don’t normally get the response we want.
“We’ll call animal control, and maybe one out of every 10 times they come.”
When asked by The Daily Signal what needs to be done, Tuccio replied, “We need to get the drug use issue under control.”
“When I’m volunteering there, I walk by the homeless casually smoking crack. Homeless people are selling dogs to buy more drugs,” he said, adding that people breed dogs and sell them to homeless individuals who want companionship from a pet.
“We saw a case where a person made $500 from selling a litter of puppies on Skid Row. … And they take that money and use it to buy more drugs.”
Animal welfare activists said they are documenting incidents and posting on social media to raise public awareness on an often overlooked issue.
Don’t take my word for it—go to Skid Row … with a group of experienced people and see it for yourself,” Tuccio said.
The Daily Signal contacted Mayor Karen Bass’s office for comment but did not receive a response.
