Protecting the innocent

When animals have to be evacuated



SAFE HAVEN–Some of the horses, above and below, that were evacuated in last month’s fire are taken into the care of Brian Laughlin, a Simi Valley horse trainer who volunteered his time and donated his truck to transport the animals to safety. Photos courtesy of Brian Laughlin

Evacuating from a fire is harrowing. In a frantic rush, people must decide what to take and where to go as the flames approach. And for those that have large pets or livestock, the situation becomes even more stressful.

Cats and dogs can travel in a car alongside human belongings, but moving a 1,500-pound horse is a different animal altogether.

As the Woolsey and Hill fires tore through the area last month, some horse owners had the means to load up their animals and move them to safety. Others were forced to leave the animals behind, to either fend for themselves or be saved later by heroic animal rescuers.

To care for the evacuated animals, emergency shelters popped up and ranches opened their doors. The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control opened three shelter sites for large animals: at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, Hansen Dam and Pierce College. Don Belton, the department’s public information officer, said the three sites cared for more than 800 animals during the fires.

To ensure that each one was returned to the right owner, volunteers recorded information about the animals as they were checked in to the facility.

“When it comes time to release the animals, we’ll match things up from the information provided at intake. If those fail then the burden falls to the person claiming the animal to provide proof of ownership,” Belton said. “That’s why we rely on animals being licensed and microchipped.”

The emergency shelters have since closed. The Agoura Animal Care Center, which had to be evacuated during the fire, has reopened. The animals at that facility were taken to the county’s six other facilities for care during the fire.

Private facilities also opened their doors to displaced animals. The Silver Spur Stables in Glendale is still looking after horses and other large animals whose owners can’t take them home yet.

Owner Suzanne Peika said they took in about 40 animals, including horses, goats and sheep. Peika said the three-person staff is working around the clock, and will be for the foreseeable future.

“We have people that have lost their houses. We’re going to be taking a hit for a while,” Peika said. “A lot of people, because they were from Malibu, could afford their horses, so they paid us up front, which was really nice. Others (will pay what they can), just something, because it’s costing a lot of money to take care of those horses.”

Saddle up

When the fires hit, Simi Valley horse trainer Brian Laughlin was one of many who helped transport other people’s animals to safety. During the first three days of the Woolsey fire, Laughlin put 1,800 miles on his truck, visiting ranches and transporting animals.

The situation was chaotic, he said, and owners had to put their trust not only in people like him who were offering to move the animals, but in the facilities to where they were being taken.

“(Sometimes) you’re just entrusting your animal to this person—that they’re going to take it where it’s supposed to go,” he said.

Laughlin helped both people he knew and those he didn’t.

“Sometimes we pull onto the scene and owners have completely left the ranch. (That happened) at a ranch up on top of Kanan that burned down. . . . Some of the people knew who the owners were, some didn’t. Horses were going places that they shouldn’t have been, and it turns into a big mess.”

Laughlin said he had to work swiftly in order to stay on his tight schedule.

“When they evacuated Old Agoura, a lot of those folks were waiting in line for anybody to get their horses out of there.

“I told them to follow me to where the horse was going so when I get there I can drop the horse off, hand it to them and they do the (registration) because I need to get back on the road.”

Of the 800 large animals evacuated to the three L.A. County sites, more than 500 were horses.