Roses are red, shelters are full boxy tee

introducing… Roses are red, shelters are full tee

According to data from the Animal Welfare Data Center, in 2024 alone, 15,857 animals lost their lives in the Los Angeles shelter system. On top of that, 10,449 animals were brought into shelters already deceased. These animals are not included in shelter death totals, but they reveal the terrifying scale of crisis the county is facing every single day.

When you break it down, that means 43 animals die daily in LA shelters.

These numbers are from 2024,, and they have only increased since.

Los Angeles shelters are open-intake, meaning they cannot turn animals away. No matter how full they are. Overcapacity doesn’t just mean crowded kennels. It means stress, illness, behavioral decline, and healthy, adoptable dogs being euthanized simply to make space.
This isn’t a failure of compassion from shelter workers + volunteers.

It’s a systemic failure fueled by overbreeding, lack of spay/neuter access, housing instability, and public disconnect. High-kill doesn’t mean heartless.. it means overwhelmed.

Systemic change is the only way forward. But systems don’t change quietly. They change when people become aware, get educated, and stop looking away.

That’s why kennel205 exists.
Our rescue-rooted merch isn’t just something you wear, it’s designed to spark conversations.