With the
Donald Trump
administration carrying out ruthless deportations and the ICE raids getting more and more nerve wrecking, a Los Angeles family decided to self-deport themselves to avoid humiliation and further complications.
However, their plan to take their 6 years old German Shepard named Draco failed as the airlines they were flying with refused to accommodate him because of his size, though the family had purchased his ticket.
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This led to Draco ending up at Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC). On June 5, he was placed under the care of Carson/Gardena Animal Care Center and started to wait for a new beginning. His previous family, who took great care of him for more than 5 years had no other option than to leave him at the center and leave.
Talking about Draco, DACC Public Information Officer Christopher Valles told
PEOPLE
, “Draco’s family was placed in a very difficult position due to recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and their subsequent deportation.”
Valles further added, “Unfortunately, they were unable to take Draco with them and made the difficult decision to surrender him to our care center to ensure his safety and well-being.” The DACC also mentioned that the airline’s policy that barred Draco from taking the flight was not made clear to them and also did not know which airline the family had opted for.
However, that did not stop the Carson/Gardena staff from accepting Draco lovingly and helping his family in every possible way. It should be noted here that Trump’s deportation frenzy in Southern California has significantly raised the number of pet surrenders at their facility, DACC has observed.
Talking about the same, Valles said, “While we acknowledge the emotional impact of families having to surrender their pets during deportation, it’s important to note that this is a relatively new issue for our department. As such, we have not yet seen documented success stories or unifications in this context.”
DACC is actively working towards collecting and analyzing more data that will help them to deal with this new crisis in a better way. One of the major challenges that the organization faces while trying to reconnect the pets with their owners is outdated address or contact information. Besides that, logistical issues, including displacement, relocation, or other legal problems also often make the reunion process difficult.
Valles commented on this issue and said, “These factors can make the reunification process more complicated, but DACC remains committed to doing everything possible to reconnect pets with their families whenever circumstances allow.”
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However, fortune seemed to favor Draco as he was adopted by another family on July 10. As his adoption video by the new family went viral on TikTok, Valles said, “DACC wants the community to know that no matter the situation a family is in and they find themselves in the difficult position of not being able to care for their pet, we are here to help.”
Draco’s story gives hope to pet owners who are living in fear of deportation and find it difficult for them to carry their pets along with them. As Valles told
PEOPLE
, “Whether it is with resources to help keep the pet with family members or friends, or ultimately to help make the difficult decision of surrendering their pet as smooth as possible.”
