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This is just preliminary info.
No one at Animal Services now knows anything about any of Mason's cats having panleukemia. The press release regarding the "sick" cats and positive panleuk testing has entirely disappeared off the LAAS website.
Mason told me he has been in regular communications with the West Valley shelter for two months. He approached them two months ago asking them for help with 30 kittens he had in his yard. Pregnant moms were showing up weekly from nowhere and he didn't know what to do.
Get this, he was given a bottle feeder's starters kit along with artificial milk, and told to bring the kittens to the shelter at age eight weeks. They also gave him several spay/neuter certificates and literature about rescue groups. The moms were lactating and there was no need for artificial milk or bottles, and they gave him certificates but told him to not get the moms spayed until the kittens were eight weeks old.
He thought he had established a personal relationship with Lt.Troy Boswell at the WV shelter.
Two or three days before the raid, two detectives and 2 AC officers (I have photocopies of their cards) dropped off some traps at his house, and he helped round up 12 kittens for them and put them in cages. These were the kittens that the Press Release--now totally disappeared off the LAAS website--said tested positive for panleukemia. Dana Bartholomew unknowingly repeated this lie about diseased cats.
The traps they dropped off were filthy, caked in dirt with feces and had open cans of dried cat food. Ramirez (female AC) called the day before the bust, Wednesday, and asked if any cats had been caught yet. Mason told her that he had to clean the cages first because they were filthy and he didn't want his cats to catch anything.
Next day, 6:00 A.M., the bust. Cops, detectives, animal services, animal cruelty, camera crew.
He said he had always been open with anyone from the City and even agreed to have a City lock put on his gate so that any City employee or city service could come onto his property at any time. There was no need to arrest or cuff him.
In other words, this was a setup for the Animal Cruelty Task Force to make its bones. Notice how many hoarder busts there have been lately? Who is easier to go after, a "hoarder" who has asked Animal Services for help and was given bottle feeders, or someone raising fighting dogs in South Central? Notice all the busts are in the West Valley, not East LA, Watts or West LA. I am sure there are vicious hoarders in WLA somewhere and maybe better doughnut shops there too.
Moreover, not only did LAAS/Task Fotce take all of his vet records and medications, when he went to his vets to get copies of all his cats' medical records, they didn't want anything to do with him. They were destroying all medical records more than 3 years old. They told him they didn't want any trouble from the City.
I guess the Task Force also showed up at their doorstep too.
This is purely a case of Boks/LAPD wanting the Task Force to make its bones by busting alleged hoarders even if their was no animal neglect.
This is an outrage!!! Much, much more to come.
Ohh, I forgot to tell you, the moms ran away after the raid and have not come back. The kittens remaining are weaned and need to be rescued and adopted. They are tame and appear healthy.
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That is horrible, absolutely horrible. The City is guilty here. Sounds like the guy asked them to take some cats, but they didn't. Boks kitten refusal program at work. They even gave him bottle baby supplies!
ReplyDeleteLt. Troy Boswell is not the nicest guy. He likes to pretend to be a big shot. I bet he and Boks called the media. They raided that guy as a PR stunt to help feed Boks' attention needing ego. I remember Boswell when he was a Wildlife Officer. He used to go around and scare residents saying coyotes would eat their babies.
They should be going after abusers, dog fighters, people who beat their animals. They should be doing their job and helping people with too many animals. I bet the shelter may have even been dumping cats at his place. Maybe that's part of Boks animal refusing program. Go pick up an unwanted animal, don't book it in then drop it off at a person's house who wouldn't refuse the animal. Then bust the guy for hoarding.