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Rescue transporter says she was banned from San Bernardino shelter after calling it a 'slaughterhouse'
Summary
A volunteer transporter told the council she was barred from the city's animal shelter after posting a Facebook message calling the facility a 'slaughterhouse'; she described the ban as retaliation and warned it chills rescue partnerships that help reduce shelter deaths.
During public comment at a San Bernardino city council special meeting, Susan Guyire (who uses the name Sha Omaha on social media) said she was told by the shelter director, identified in comments as Jasmine, that she was no longer permitted to transport animals from the city facility. Guyire said the ban followed a Facebook post using the word "slaughterhouse" to describe the shelter's euthanasia practices and that no shelter policy or staff name was cited in the post.
Guyire told the council she has transported animals from virtually every Southern California shelter for a decade and that the local rescue community provides critical capacity for transferring animals to rescues and adopters. "I was verbally told by Jasmine, the director, that I was no longer permitted to transport from the shelter," she said, adding that the action chilled free speech and discouraged volunteers.
The issue was raised during the meeting's public‑comment period; another speaker, Theodore Trentman, described the same dispute and urged the council to maintain productive partnerships with outside animal transporters and rescuers. The council did not take immediate action on the claim during the meeting and no staff report or vote on shelter policy was recorded in the meeting minutes provided. Staff did not provide a contemporaneous response establishing whether the ban was temporary, policy‑driven or subject to appeal.
The exchange flagged a potential oversight concern for the city's animal services: volunteers and transport partners often expand shelter capacity, and removing trusted partners can reduce live‑release outcomes. The council directed staff to return with follow‑up on several agenda items related to implementation and operational priorities; the public comment on the transporter ban is recorded as an item the council may address in follow‑up communications or future meetings.
No formal action was taken at this meeting on the shelter ban; the comment was recorded in the public‑comment record and may prompt staff follow‑up outside the meeting.
