Protesters held signs that read “Justice for the dogs” outside the Humboldt County Superior Courthouse on Wednesday, calling for authorities to shutter Miranda’s Rescue and prosecute the animal sanctuary’s owner.
The Humboldt County Sheriff's Department searched the 50-acre Fortuna facility last month after a tip that staff at the no-kill adoption center had shot and buried dogs rather than rehome the animals.
Detective Julian Aguilera said owner Shannon Miranda admitted to shooting dogs occasionally when “immediate action was required to prevent further suffering,” according to an affidavit obtained by Lost Coast Outpost.
Shelters and individuals will pay Miranda’s Rescue hundreds of dollars to keep or rehome an animal.
Investigators said one of the dogs found dead was sent from Oakland Animal Services weeks earlier, with Miranda telling the shelter the dog was adopted.
“[I]t is my belief that Shannon murdered these dogs so that he could accept more from Oakland Animal Services for financial gain,” Aguilera said.
Protesters later attended the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors to voice their concerns.
"I'm one of the people who dug eight dead dogs out of the mass grave on Shannon Miranda's property,” said Jennifer Raymond, who contacted police. “I know how those dogs died. They had holes in their heads.”
Raymond and Jenna Moore admitted to sneaking onto Miranda’s property to gather evidence.
“For more than two decades, people reported missing animals, questioned practices, and begged agencies to look deeper,” Moore said.
Miranda also had defenders at the board meeting.
“He is an upstanding person,” said former Miranda’s Rescue board member Debbie Scheffler. “He has always done the best that he could do.”
“What is happening to him right now is nothing short of a lynch mob, a rush to judgment fueled by misinformation,” said Hillary Graham, who said she had known Miranda for years.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office’s Major Crimes Division is investigating the allegations against Miranda’s Rescue. No charges have been filed. The shelter is still operating.
Shannon Miranda did not respond to a request for comment.
“A legal process is now underway to sort the facts from the lies, and I’m asking you to please hold fire until that process works its way through,” Miranda said in an earlier statement.
