Animal advocates allege illegal puppy sales at homeless encampment under Arleta overpass
Concerns over Arleta homeless encampment
Animal advocates are raising concerns about a large homeless encampment beneath an Arleta overpass where dogs, cats and kittens live among trash and makeshift shelters.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A massive homeless encampment tucked beneath an overpass in Arleta is drawing concerns from animal advocates who allege puppies are being sold from the site, where dogs, cats and kittens live among piles of trash and makeshift shelters.
The encampment is visible from above, but underneath the roadway, people have built living spaces equipped with furniture, washing machines, televisions and generators.
When FOX 11 arrived with a camera, several people scattered, including at least one person who left in a car.
"What stuff goes on down here?" FOX 11 asked a man who identified himself as Ralph.
"Nothing much, man. Just living. And the city won’t even come and pick up the trash," he said.
"It literally looks like the third world. It’s crazy," said Victoriah Bech-Parker, co-founder of the animal advocacy organization Starts With One Today.
Animal advocates allege illegal puppy sales
Bech-Parker and other advocates said they were called to the encampment this week over reports of alleged illegal puppy sales.
One advocate said a woman told her she was selling puppies for $45 to $100 each.
FOX 11 saw multiple dogs, cats and kittens at the encampment. One dog appeared to have recently given birth, and a woman living there, who identified herself as J, said another dog was pregnant.
"Do you feel like it’s a puppy mill?" FOX 11 asked J.
"No. They just need a nice home," she said, adding that one dog had given birth about a week earlier and another was pregnant.
J took FOX 11 inside the encampment, where at least a dozen people were living beneath the roadway among piles of trash, copper wire and furniture.
"Look at this, how crowded it is. This is how we live, you know," she said.
Generators power makeshift homes
A generator sits outside J’s makeshift home, where she said she has lived for nearly two years.
"Everybody has their own TV, own stereo so they can listen to music. We share generators so we can watch TV," J said.
But animal advocates said they were concerned about the conditions in which the animals were living.
"They’re living perfect down there, but honestly it’s not humane. The cleanliness. They said a couple dogs got parvo, got really sick. Puppies died," said Jonathan Parker, co-founder of Starts With One Today.
Parvovirus is a highly contagious disease that can be particularly dangerous for puppies. The reported cases and deaths have not been independently confirmed.
Bech-Parker alleged that people at the encampment were breeding and selling dogs, right across from a tiny homes shelter for the homeless.
"Majority [living out here are] struggling with drug addiction, and of course they’re breeding dogs, running a full-on puppy mill down here," she said.
The allegations have not been independently verified.
Advocates call for city intervention
The animal advocates said they have tried to get city officials to respond to concerns about the encampment and its conditions, but were still waiting for action.
"We go to Skid Row, this is scarier because this is underground. Nobody can hear you scream down here. It’s scary for the people, it’s scary for the women, it’s scary for the dogs. We’re here to just get the city to do something about it," said Joey Tuccio, an animal advocate with Starts With One Today.
Tuccio said the broader homelessness crisis affects neighborhoods across Los Angeles, including Arleta, Pacoima, Van Nuys, Venice and Skid Row.
"But this is probably one of the worst I’ve ever seen," he said.
FOX 11 reached out to Councilmember Imelda Padilla’s office Thursday evening with questions about the encampment and the allegations of illegal puppy sales. The office had not responded as of publication.
The Source: This report is based on interviews with animal advocates and people living at the encampment, observations made by FOX 11, and outreach to Councilmember Imelda Padilla’s office.