Marcia Mayeda, Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2026

CONTACT: Christopher Valles, accpio@animalcare.lacounty.gov

AI-Altered Animal Images Pose
Public Safety Risk, DACC Warns

Neighboring County Incident Prompts Los Angeles County
Preventive Advisory on Misleading Shelter Animal Posts

The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) is issuing this advisory as a preventive information measure after AI-manipulated images of shelter animals were discovered on social media in neighboring Ventura County. While no such incidents have been confirmed in Los Angeles County animal care centers, DACC is acting proactively to alert the public to this emerging scam before it reaches our community.

“When rescue groups or individual advocates post and share images that are not real animals in their care or do not accurately represent the care and behavior of the animals, the public is misled,” said DACC Director Marcia Mayeda. “People donate, share posts, and open their homes because they believe they are helping a specific animal in need. Fabricated images create a false narrative and distort the reality of what shelters and rescues are actually experiencing.”

A Preventable Danger to Families

AI image manipulation can make an aggressive or behaviorally unsuitable animal appear calm, friendly, or docile. Rescue organizations or individual advocates may use such altered images to place animals that are not suitable for adoption into family homes. This practice creates a direct risk of animal attacks — particularly to children and elderly individuals who may be most vulnerable.

DACC’s core mission is to find safe, loving homes for every adoptable animal. That mission depends on honest, accurate representation of the animals in our care. Images that misrepresent an animal’s true behavior do not serve that mission—they undermine it–and they put the community in danger.

Real Animals Suffer Too

Beyond the safety risk, AI-generated or AI-altered animal images divert donations, volunteer attention, and community support away from animals that genuinely need help. Fabricated posts create false urgency around animals that may not exist or may not be accurately represented, robbing real shelter animals of the visibility and resources they need.

How to Spot an AI-Altered Animal Image

AI-manipulated images often contain telltale signs that a careful eye can detect. Altered photos may show unrealistic or inconsistent fur texture, anatomy, or body proportions and animals may appear with unusually perfect or overly calm expressions that seem staged rather than natural. Other red flags include strange or unnatural lighting and backgrounds, blurred or distorted edges around the animal’s body, and behaviors or poses that are simply atypical for the species or breed. If something about an image feels off, trust your instincts.

If you encounter a shelter animal post that appears suspicious, verify the animal’s status directly through the agency’s official website or social media page before donating, sharing, or inquiring about adoption.

How to Report a Suspicious Post

If you encounter a post that appears to feature an AI-altered image of a shelter animal, DACC encourages you to report it directly to the social media platform administrator using the platform’s built-in reporting tools such as “Report Post” or “Flag Content.”

Most major platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) have mechanisms specifically designed to flag misleading or manipulated media. Before donating, sharing, or inquiring about adoption, always verify the animal’s status through the official shelter website or social media page. If you believe an animal at one of DACC’s animal care centers is being misrepresented online, please contact DACC directly at https://animalinfo@animalcare.lacounty.gov.

About the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC)

DACC is one of the largest animal care and control agencies in the nation, operating seven animal care centers and providing services to more than three million residents and their pets. DACC operates under the nationally recognized Socially Conscious Sheltering model to ensure the best possible outcomes for animals and the community. As a community resource center for pets and owners, DACC protects people and animals from harm, provides care for lost and unwanted animals, reunites lost pets with their families, and strives every day to move closer to its goal of finding a loving home for every adoptable pet that comes through its doors. To learn more about DACC, the resources DACC provides, and view its animals, visit https://animalcare.lacounty.gov or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). To support DACC’s efforts, please donate to the Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation at https://lacountyanimals.org/. To learn more about Socially Conscious Sheltering, visit https://scsheltering.org/.