Bodhi Haugen

Frustrated community members protested on Sept. 28 at the Humboldt County Courthouse to raise awareness about Miranda’s Rescue resuming operations after its permit suspension was lifted by the Humboldt County Planning and Building Department. 

Jenna Moore monitored trail cameras on Shannon Miranda’s – founder of Miranda’s Rescue – property prior to the investigation; she noticed that every five to 10 days giant holes alongside mounds of dirt were being tampered with. Moore was notified on her phone on April 26 with footage showing Miranda on the property.

“It was the video that you’ve probably seen — the one of him driving the tractor dumping the dogs — and because I had gone to the sheriff’s department before that and they didn’t do anything, we knew we had to go in,” Moore said. “So when I saw that video, obviously I lost my cookies, very emotional of course, and I called Jennifer, and I just said we’re going in tonight, we’re gonna dig, and we met right before dark and did what we needed to do.”

Jennifer Raymond is an animal rights activist and owner of the neighboring property to Miranda’s rescue. Moore touched on how her protest was less about rushing the investigation and more about her frustration with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office’s lack of communication.

“It angers the community that we are getting nothing,” Moore said. 

The rescue is again accepting animals and has resumed adoptions. As part of the agreement that allowed the permit to be reinstated, Miranda’s Rescue agreed to stop using the illegal expansion of the northern parcel on its property where animals were killed and remove the building from the premises. The rescue said it will also no longer operate a veterinary or euthanasia facility.

Samantha Smith, a senior political science major adopted a dog from Miranda’s Rescue named Ted in 2024 and reminds everyone what adoption means to her after hearing about the dead dogs at the rescue.

“Ted, for us, after hearing all these stories, he’s not just a rescue, but he was saved too,” Smith said. “And I think that that’s really important to keep in mind that when you’re adopting an animal, you could be saving them from potentially horrific situations such as this.”

Protesters call on other counties to stop sending animals to the rescue, advocate for transparent communication with the Sheriff’s office, bring justice to Miranda and shut the rescue down for good. This permit reinstatement has fueled criticism from community members who remain concerned about the multiple violations previously cited against the rescue. This has not been the first protest at the courthouse since the initial investigation. 

In an official statement on the Miranda’s Rescue website posted in June, Miranda claims the business’s morals have always been followed despite media coverage and online commentary.

“Miranda’s Rescue is a no-kill rescue,” Miranda said. “We do not euthanize animals simply to make space. However, as we state on our website, there are rare circumstances in which euthanasia may be necessary — when an animal is suffering from a terminal condition or when it poses a serious, ongoing danger to people or other animals. In those situations, we make the most humane and responsible decision we can, always with public safety and animal welfare in mind.”

Ashley Elwell, who worked at Miranda’s Rescue in 2012, described Miranda’s unethical behavior and frustration amongst animal lovers.

“Justice needs to be served, and his acts were fraudulent,” Elwell said. “I’m from Fortuna, and it’s a bad representation that justice is not being served because we are an animal community, and the way he went about doing things was out of greed.”

As of Sept. 29, Miranda’s Rescue will remain open. Miranda has no charges against him at this time. There will be another protest held at the Humboldt County Courthouse on Saturday Oct. 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Dan Close, a protester and Humboldt County resident, talked about his frustration with the lack of punishment Miranda received and the shock behind a permit reissue.

“I don’t know what it takes to rise to a felony and get charged, but it’s shocking to see them reissue a permit for operating a facility,” Close said. “It’s hard to deny the evidence, and doing this to a couple of dogs is enough to get you shut down. It’s kind of amazing that it has to be hundreds, not even to get you shut down.”

Bodhi is a reporter and news editor for the Lumberjack. You can reach him at bgh27@humboldt.edu