Miranda’s Rescue: Recent Devlopments

Bay Woof first shared the breaking news in our June issue about alleged abuse, fraud, and sketchy-at-best financial practices at Miranda’s Rescue, a self-described “animal sanctuary” in Humboldt County, CA. Since then, that story has continued to develop. According to multiple news outlets, FBI investigators and county sheriffs have finished digging up two burial pits on Miranda’s property, unearthing the remains of 117 animals. Most of these had gunshot wounds and microchips, making them traceable to the persons or organizations that had originally surrendered the dogs before they wound up in front of a shotgun. Investigators stopped digging after the two burial pits were emptied, but they have continued to gather other evidence with the assistance of forensic accountants to follow the money trails.

Late last week, our friends at Redheaded Blackbelt shared a public statement made by the subject of the investigation, Shannon Miranda, in which he appeared to complain about damage to his reputation, claimed that none of the allegations are true, and described himself “an upstanding citizen in this community.”  The following day, July 31, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office stated that “the facts will speak for themselves” and that investigators are undaunted. They vowed to bring answers and justice to the table.

As we wait for word on justice for these animals, animal advocates must also work toward changing the way we think and talk about this rescue work. If we cannot provide a better life for these thousands of unwanted dogs, they certainly deserve a much better death than what they received in Humboldt County. As humans, we must do more.

One of the biggest-hearted and hardest-working rescue organization founders is Pali Boucher. Last week, she and her local rescue group, Rocket Dog Rescue, shared on social media that they are suing Shannon Miranda, alleging fraud, animal cruelty, and intentional misrepresentation, as reported by Lost Coast Outpost.  Pali painfully revealed that Rocket Dog Rescue had previously sent four dogs to this so-called “sanctuary.” Three of them were identified by microchips as buried in the pits; just one survived with an adopter (read Pali’s full statement on FB here).  

We applaud Pali and her organization for their honesty and their willingness to pursue this case through the courts. Stay tuned to Redheaded Blackbelt for more updates.