Newbury Park businessman continues to save dogs and cats

Joshua Pasewaldt He says he's sure he wouldn't like jail and he really doesn't want to have any trouble at all with the law. All he wants to do is save the lives of dogs and cats scheduled for death at what he calls highkill shelters in Kern County.

Joshua Pasewaldt, owner of Newbury Park Feed and Pet Supply, 67 N. Reino Road, doesn't know how much longer he can afford to do so, but so far he's saved about 820 dogs and 230 cats from shelters near Bakersfield. He drives there twice a week and brings them to his pet supply store in Newbury Park to be adopted.

The animals have been checked out by a veterinarian at the shelter, and he brings back only dogs that look healthy to him because, he said, nobody wants a sick animal.

Those who adopt get certificates to bring their new pet to a veterinarian dog training class for for a free grooming check, Pasewaldt said.

He said he's always recommended those adopting the animals do that, but has left it up to them. Now he's required to have a vet come in and sign off on the dogs before they're offered to the public. He's also been required by Los Angeles Animal Control officials to install a fire sprinkler system in his business where the dogs are kept.

"If I only had cats or if I had 501-3C nonprofit animal rescue status, that would not be required. I guess they think cats and nonprofitrescued animals are fireproof," he said.

Pasewaldt doesn't mind providing a safer environment for the animals that would most likely be dead if he hadn't shown up and taken them, but he does mind the extra paperwork now required of him.

"I have to treat these dogs as if they were pedigreed dogs coming in from another state," he said.

He also worries about the threat of getting fined $1,000 or going to jail for 90 days if he doesn't follow the Los Angeles County rules, which differ somewhat from those in Ventura County, where he lives and runs his business, Pasewaldt said.

"I've never been to jail, and I don't think I would like it."

He also noted his accountant, his wife and his father have told him that spending $30,000 on rescuing animals last year is a lot of money for a young man trying to run a business.

On April 9 the Los Angeles County animal inspectors came in, asked him lots of questions and took photos, as did the Ventura County Fire Department, Pasewaldt said. They found him in compliance and allowed him to keep selling his dogs for $60, the same amount he pays the Kern County shelters for each of them, he said.