On February 14, 2019, the San Bernardino City Animal Shelter staff and volunteers received the unfortunate news that a female Chihuahua had died while under the shelter’s care. The aftermath of the news left some animal activist groups concerned about the safety and well-being of other animals at the shelter, causing the city to express their assurance of the shelter.
Love Leo Rescue, a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, was one of the most prominent animal activist groups that voiced their concerns for the animals at the San Bernardino Animal Shelter.
In a post from Love Leo Rescue's Facebook page about the incident the mentioned the new shelters manager, Lt. Frank Macomber and Love Leo Rescue state, He decided that the dogs in the San Bernardino shelter do not needs blankets or beds even though its freezing in San Bernardino."
Following the news of the female Chihuahua’s death, on February 21, 2019, the group reported that the dog had, unfortunately, froze to death.
“The dogs have been sleeping on hard concrete - literally freezing. Last night, this dog paid the ultimate price with her life,” according to Love Leo Rescue’s Facebook Page.
This post received over 3,700 shares on Facebook and caused some to reach out and express their concern to the Mayor of San Bernardino, John Valdivia.
This, along with the voices of other concerned volunteers, induced The City of San Bernardino Police Department to reaffirm the shelter’s safety.
A few hours after the Love Leo Rescue posting, and after conducting an investigation the San Bernardino Police Department (SBPD) released a statement addressing the public’s concern.
“The facts of this incident comprise the following: On February 14, 2019, a female Chihuahua in the city’s care died subsequent to undergoing a spay/neuter operation. While
fatal complications stemming from such procedures are rare, they can, unfortunately, occur,” according to the SBPD’s statement.
The SBPD, which manages the animal shelter, also said that the area in which the female Chihuahua was housed in, was heated both geothermally and by an electric overhead heater.
In addition to responding to the concerns about the female Chihuahua’s death, the SBPD announced that they are facing a decline in adoption rates and subsequently a rise in the shelter’s population. The shelter faces this challenge due to several independent cases of distemper, a contagious illness that can be caused by weak vaccines, bacterial infections or coming in contact with an infected animal. The cases of distemper were isolated, the SBPD found.
In regards to the future, the SBPD concluded, “despite these circumstances... The city remains deeply committed to all animals in its care and will continue to pursue sheltering improvement as part of that commitment."