Eastern Coachella Valley rescues overwhelmed with abandoned dogs
Athena Jreij
THERMAL, Calif. (KESQ) — East Valley animal rescues Support 4 Paws says they’re overwhelmed with abandoned dogs in Thermal, specifically those coming out of Oasis Mobile Home Park.
Kimberly Raney with Support 4 Paws says with the help of Animal Action League, her team has fostered, fixed and found homes for dozens of abandoned dogs and puppies from Oasis Mobile Home Park, but they’re at capacity and urgently need fosters and adopters.
On top of that, Raney says every dog they’ve taken in has a tic-borne illness that in some cases, can lead to death in days.
“Every dog that we have pulled from trailers have tested positive for at least one tic-borne illness that then starts to affect their red blood cells and makes them anemic, makes them very sick. So if caught early enough, we can treat it with doxycycline and they have a good prognosis. But we have been overwhelmed with how many there are. They are everywhere,” Raney said.
Since Oasis is on the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation, county animal control can’t enforce in the area.
Years ago when the park was facing water contamination issues, the county did step in and helped relocate over a hundred families. Rescuers say when those families leave their homes, they’re also leaving behind pets.
Looking for answers, News Channel 3 reached out to Supervisor Manuel Perez, the county, tribal leaders and property management.
Perez was unavailable for an interview but said via email, “Because of the need, Supervisor Perez made it a priority to do spay and neuter clinics in Oasis to make sure the Oasis Mobile Home Park community has help from the county, at no cost to residents, to spay and neuter their pets. It’s a challenging situation and we’ve done a lot as a county to assist Oasis Mobile Home Park. At this point, what’s needed are homes for pets.”
While tribal leaders didn’t respond, property management said they have been unreachable and have little resources to handle the issue.
An Oasis landlord who didn’t want to go on camera said just days ago, a young girl was bitten by a loose dog.
While answers stall, Support 4 Paws says time is running out for their furry friends.
Dogs like Bo, who was rescued just days ago and died on Wednesday from a tic-borne illness.
It’s why they’re adamant on getting animals into homes, with some volunteers saying they’ll even drive dogs across state lines to adopters.
Local rescues say the issue could take months to even years to resolve, but that they are making progress.
To get in contact with Support 4 Paws, visit: https://support4paws.org/