Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna resumed intakes and adoptions after Humboldt County lifted its permit suspension over alleged land-use violations. Advocate Vanessa Shakib said the lift was not an exoneration; no criminal charges have been filed against owner Shannon Miranda.
Miranda’s attorney Allison Jackson argued in an Aug. 6 letter that the permit barred a “euthanasia facility,” not euthanasia itself, and that county rules allowed animal burial on private property under certain conditions. In a June search, law enforcement excavated 117 intact dog remains and 21 sets of skeletal remains; eight other dead dogs had been recovered in April.
A search warrant viewed by SFGATE says Miranda allegedly told investigators he sometimes shot dogs himself, occasionally as many as 10 per month with a .22-caliber rifle. A complaint submitted to California Attorney General Rob Bonta says seized records documented about 116 adoptions among several hundred dogs taken in over roughly 16 months; the disposition of hundreds of others could not be determined. Neighbor Jennifer Raymond has asked Bonta’s office to seek the nonprofit’s involuntary dissolution and appoint a receiver to take control of its remaining animals and preserve its assets; her attorneys said they had received no update.
