Animal control officers in Los Angeles County, Calif., seized 700 dogs and cats on Friday from a pet-adoption center that had been the subject of animal cruelty complaints, the authorities said, describing the raid as one of the largest rescues of its kind in the county’s history.
The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control said it had carried out a search warrant at Rock ’N Pawz in Lake Hughes, Calif., an unincorporated community about 60 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.
County prosecutors had been investigating complaints of neglect and overcrowding at the facility, where dozens of officers, veterinarians and animal welfare specialists spent Friday evaluating the dogs and cats, officials said.
No criminal charges had been filed in the case and no one had been arrested as of Friday, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
In a text message exchange on Friday, Christine De Anda, calling herself the owner of Rock ’N Pawz, disputed the allegations and the number of animals that were seized from the facility. She did not offer further comment.
Information on the condition of the animals was not immediately available from the county, which said that those requiring emergency care would be taken to animal hospitals.
The remaining dogs and cats were being taken to the county’s animal care centers, which officials said was expected to strain their capacity and create pressure to place the other pets from those facilities in homes.
“We are urgently requesting the public’s help to support the rescue and rehabilitation of these dogs and cats,” Marcia Mayeda, the director of the Animal Care and Control Department, said in a statement.
To help facilitate pet adoptions, the department said that the county’s animal care centers, which are normally open Monday through Saturday, would be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
County animal control officials said they had extensive experience rescuing large numbers of animals, including more than 350 Chihuahuas and more than 100 venomous snakes and reptiles from animal hoarders in 2006 and 2017.
Also in 2017, the department said it had rescued more than 7,000 birds in connection with a cockfighting raid.
The county additionally cited its work during wildfire evacuations, when it said it had rescued as many 1,000 animals, mostly horses and livestock.
Neil Vigdor covers breaking news for The Times, with a focus on politics.
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