After years of battling the menace of illegal backyard breeders, the L.A. County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) unveiled a new way for the community to help combat the cruelty — through an anonymous tip line.
With no regard for the health of the parents or babies born, backyard breeders aim to maximize profit by selling animals — whether it’s through pet stores, sites like Nextdoor, or social media channels. Animals are frequently impregnated again as soon as possible after giving birth. It’s not uncommon for these dogs and cats to be isolated and not allowed to socialize, which often results in aggressiveness and unpredictable behavior.
Dogs and cats are treated as commodities in these operations, instead of the sentient beings they are. This inhumane treatment is not just unacceptable, but it’s a grave violation of animal rights.
The DACC is asking for the community’s support in tracking these unethical breeders down. They are now making it even easier for community members to step forward, offering various options, including a hotline to call or a simple online form to fill out. The form allows anyone to report a suspected backyard breeder anonymously. Those who wish to be more involved can provide their contact information, knowing their contribution is not just important but crucial to the cause.
“We want to send a clear and direct message to anyone participating in backyard breeding activities, be it buyers or sellers: backyard breeding is unsafe, unethical, and unnecessary,” DACC Director Marcia Mayeda said in a press release. “DACC stands ready to enforce critical animal welfare regulations, but we need the community’s help, and for them to speak up on behalf of vulnerable animals.”
Shutting down these backyard breeders may help save countless other lives.
Because the breeders’ primary goal is to profit, they may overbreed “designer” and pure-bred dogs and cats, which has helped push shelters to their limits. A report by Shelter Animals Count found that of the estimated 6.5 million dogs and cats that came to shelters in 2023, roughly 690,000 were euthanized. With fewer backyard breeders in business, cats and dogs in shelters stand a better chance at finding their forever homes.
Lady Freethinker applauds the DACC for devising a new way to crack down on cruel backyard breeding operations and encourages everyone to adopt instead of buying animals.
