AMAZING UPDATE!!  THE APPLE VALLEY TOWN COUNCIL VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO NOT ONLY KEEP OUR SHELTER UNDER LOCAL CONTROL, (will not sell to the county) THEY UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO REJECT ANY CONTRACT FROM SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY!!  

WE DID IT!!!

 

In Apple Valley, the proposed sale of our town’s animal shelter to San Bernardino County threatens the well-being of our pets, their owners, and animals in need of help within the town’s borders.

Our community members, who have contributed their hard-earned taxes to establish and maintain this shelter, now face the prospect of losing this vital facility.   

There are numerous reasons we cannot allow this to happen.

The Town of Apple Valley took on the huge task of building it’s own animal shelter, due to substandard services being provided via contract through San Bernardino County Animal Care and Control. Residents contributed, volunteered, and have worked so very hard at this shelter!  Opening this shelter was a great source of pride.  It still is.   Our shelter is being ruined because of a contract with San Bernardino County, one in which our shelter is responsible for providing sheltering services for animals from unincorporated areas of the High Desert.    

San Bernardino County, however, has not done it’s part for animals from the outlying unincorporated county areas of the High Desert, which is a massive area. Rather than build a shelter, the Board of Supervisors instead chose to “contract” with the Town of Apple Valley for sheltering services. Prior to Apple Valley, the County contracted for services with other agencies.   The Board of Supervisors has been “kicking the can down the road” for decades, and now they want our shelter?  NO.

The county areas are full of stray, unvaccinated, unlicensed, and unaltered dogs (and stray/feral cats.)

The Devore (county animal shelter) has been in the media for unacceptable, substandard care of sheltered animals, sometimes resulting in severe suffering-and death.   This is not a new problem, it is decades old.  

 

 

Attacks on livestock and pets are a daily occurrence. (click link)

 

 County Animal Control does nothing.  People walking, or taking their own leashed pet for a walk have been attacked. Hoarders are allowed to carry on as if they’re doing nothing wrong, and farm animals are left in substandard, unspeakable conditions.

The High Desert is most often ignored by the County. The population of the High Desert has exploded, yet we don’t have enough hospitals, or even a trauma center. With that explosion in human population comes animals. Lots of them. The county’s failure to plan should be no reason to put the animals and residents of Apple Valley in the crosshairs. The county has tried to get out of sheltering animals within its own jurisdictions for decades by simply “contracting,” when they should have built their own animal shelter decades ago.

If the county were to own the animal shelter, and the Town of Apple Valley were to contract with the county for services, what would that change? Absolutely nothing. Regardless of who the “owner” is, the same numbers of animals will keep pouring in from county areas. Selling the shelter will not reduce animal population. 

Many people feel that the Town Council wants to sell the animal shelter because they are tired receiving nasty emails from members of the public-most of whom do not live locally, and are “online rescuers.” Some of those same out of the area “online rescuers” have travelled to council meetings to “complain” and/or have posted negative content without verifying information, creating their own narratives to inflame the “feelings” of the public. It is a sick, twisted game.

The vicious abuse hurled toward shelter staff has been awful.

Being doxed, having yourself/ family/children threatened, being stalked, threats of murder-or relentless, cruel on-line bullying is illegal.   What’s worse?  Most of this comes from not only outside of our region, but nationally, and from as far away as Australia.  “Networkers” spread online lies, and those lies become gospel.  

Selling the shelter would be a horrible thing to do to shelter staff. Many have been working for the shelter for more than a decade. Is being handed over to the county as an employee after years of faithful service, doing a very difficult job, while facing constant abuse from the “rescue” community a just reward?   No.  

The Town of Apple Valley has a slogan. “A Better Way of Life.”

This is not a better way of life for Apple Valley’s companion animals, livestock, or wildlife. It is not a “better way of life” for employees who have worked faithfully and diligently for years, while being relentlessly pursued by crazy people, and it certainly isn’t a better way of life for town residents, who have already paid for this shelter. Should the town contract with the county for services, eventually town residents will be paying for sheltering services all over again-double jeopardy. 

The County of San Bernardino MUST build its own animal shelter in the High Desert. The need has been obvious for decades, yet they’ve done nothing. It hasn’t been enough of a “priority,” All of the taxpayer funds they’ve spent on “contracting” could have built a huge shelter many times over. Enough is enough.  As the High Desert’s human population continues to grow, so will the need for more animal services.   This sale accomplishes nothing for the town.

Hands off of our shelter!  This was such a proud, exciting time for us (below.) 

Let’s KEEP IT LOCAL!!   Say NO to the county, our animal shelter is NOT FOR SALE!!