Bay Area shelters cut ties with Humboldt rescue after dogs found dead

Bay Area shelters have cut off a Humboldt County rescue after investigators said they found eight dead dogs on the property, some shot and buried, including at least one dog recently transferred from the Bay Area.

The fallout has spread beyond Fortuna and Sandy Prairie Road, where Miranda’s Rescue has operated for 28 years under founder Shannon Miranda, 55. Oakland Animal Services and Berkeley Animal Care Services both severed ties after the allegations surfaced, and Hitchcock Road Animal Services in Monterey County said it also stopped sending dogs after learning of the case. As of Friday, May 22, no charges had been filed, but the case has already shaken trust in a transfer system that moved hundreds of dogs up the North Coast.

According to a Humboldt County search warrant affidavit, Oakland Animal Services transferred 445 animals to Miranda’s Rescue between 2023 and 2025. Investigators estimated those transfers could have generated about $178,000 if the rescue was paid $400 per dog. The affidavit also says the rescue received more than 600 dogs from shelters in the previous year and roughly $510,000 in payments. Oakland Animal Services director Joe DeVries said the city’s shelter had an agreement with Miranda’s Rescue dating back to 2016 and transferred 205 dogs last year.

The investigation began on April 22, 2026, after two women contacted the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office with concerns that the rescue was taking in dogs for financial reasons. The affidavit says they later obtained trail-camera video they believed showed dead dogs being dumped in a field. On May 1, investigators served a search warrant at about 6:30 p.m., seeking records, contracts, bank documents and other materials. Humboldt County Animal Control examined animals on the property, and the County of Humboldt said its officers seized evidence while the search warrant was served.

County authorities say the Major Crimes Division is leading the investigation, while Animal Control is monitoring animals on the property daily. The affidavit and related accounts have also prompted new scrutiny of shelter oversight, including who reviewed transfers, what warning signs were missed and how long concerns had been building before the first formal complaint.

Jennifer Raymond, founder of Humboldt Spay and Neuter and a neighbor of the rescue, said she had worried about the operation for years. She bought property next door last year to watch it more closely, then trespassed and began digging after growing suspicious. Raymond said she uncovered a dog with blood around its muzzle and said the bodies were still warm. She acknowledged trespassing and said she was prepared for the consequences.

Miranda said he would vigorously defend himself against the allegations. For Bay Area shelters and donors, the deeper question now is how many dogs were sent north, what happened to them and whether the safeguards around those transfers failed long before eight bodies were pulled from the ground.