As an investigation into allegations of animal cruelty and fraud continues at Miranda’s Rescue, founder Shannon Miranda says the allegations against him, ranging from improper euthanasia to unaccounted-for animals, are the result of long‑standing personal conflicts, misinterpretations, and a rescue operation overwhelmed by aggressive dogs and inconsistent shelter practices.
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Investigators say the missing animals span multiple years and jurisdictions, and the lack of paperwork makes it unclear how many animals passed through the gates of Miranda’s Rescue or what their outcomes were. The search warrant states that 731 animals are unaccounted for, and deputies located only 112 adoption records during the initial search. During the June excavation of the property, investigators recovered 631 collars, 117 intact dog remains, 21 canine skulls, hundreds of bones, animal blood evidence, and burial sites at the property.
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In a two-hour interview at his Fortuna property last week, Miranda repeatedly denied accusations that he drowned dogs, disposed of animals in the Eel River, or used rescue funds for personal travel, while acknowledging poor record‑keeping and what he called “sloppy” transfers from out‑of‑county shelters. He claimed he shot dogs for euthanasia, but it remains unclear whether he followed California’s strict legal conditions for firearm euthanasia. He disputes the collars as evidence of a crime, saying that many had been donated, some had tags on them, while others had dog fur on them and were visibly used.
Miranda, who has operated the rescue for 31 years, said the public narrative has been shaped by “rumors, vendettas and social media,” and that some of the most serious allegations are “flat‑out false.” However, many of his explanations contradict public records, shelter documentation and statements from officials.
“I’ve never drowned a dog. I’ve never drowned a cat,” said Miranda. “It did not happen.”
Reached Friday evening, Sheriff William Honsal had a different take.
“It looks like Mr. Miranda is continuously lying,” Honsal told the Times-Standard. Questions sent to the sheriff’s office were not answered by the Times-Standard publishing deadline.
Euthanasia at Miranda’s Rescue
Miranda said he euthanized 112 dogs over several years, a number he argues reflects the reality of rural rescue work, and claims he adopted out more than 1,000. He provided no documentation supporting either figure. Investigators have raised concerns about the high volume of missing dogs and a lack of documentation. Miranda acknowledged the gaps.
“I was not good at keeping paperwork and records,” said Miranda. “I wish I had kept better records.”
“I never put animals down illegally,” he continued. “People keep repeating that, but it’s simply not true. Every time I euthanized a dog, it was because that dog was dangerous or had already killed another animal. I didn’t do anything in secret — I called deputies, I followed what I understood the law to be, and I buried them the way I was told. This idea that I was killing dogs for no reason is completely false.”
The June 15 search warrant notes Miranda offered various stories.
“Shannon’s story changed numerous times both within interviews and over the course of both interviews, but he did admit to euthanizing dogs at the Rescue by gunshot,” the warrant stated. “Shannon said he used the .22-caliber rifle that we seized during the search warrant. Shannon admitted to shooting up to 10 dogs a month. Shannon said he did not shoot adoptable dogs but only ones with Behavioral or medical issues.”
Detective Shane Steel further states in the search warrant, “Additionally, I believe there is more than enough evidence to show that animal cruelty is likely happening on Shannon’s property at his hands of his own admission. Shannon would sometimes sedate dogs that he was going to shoot, but not always. The medication he claimed to use is regulated and not something that a civilian like Shannon would have access to and I believe that this is another example of him being untruthful if these dogs were as aggressive as Shannon claimed. I find it unlikely that he would be able to humanely shoot them on every single occasion with one single shot from his .22 caliber rifle. ”
Investigators recovered a firearm during the search. Miranda claimed it was stored in a tack room, not the barn. “The .22 was not in the barn,” said Miranda.
California law allows firearm euthanasia only under narrow conditions, and investigators have not confirmed whether those conditions were met. Miranda said he used a .22 rifle to euthanize dogs he deemed dangerous or unadoptable.
Inside the barn where investigators documented blood splatter evidence, collected collars, and retrieved a .22 rifle, Miranda described the structure as a quarantine area, not a euthanasia site. “This is my dog’s quarantine barn,” said Miranda. “They’re saying this is just the kill barn.”
He pointed to scratched wood, damage, and a small hole at the bottom of the wall. “He was tearing this up right here,” said Miranda, referring to one dog. “This was ripping his face, trying to get to the dog next door.”
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Honsal has previously stated that forensic veterinarians provided preliminary findings from the excavation search showing dogs were killed with a small‑caliber gun and additional necropsies were pending.
“These were world-renowned veterinarians that were here doing the job. These were preliminary, and that gave some information that they were killed similarly with a small-caliber firearm and likely a .22,” said Honsal to the Times-Standard. “We’re preserving all these dogs to do more evidence, more necropsies, and we also have the original eight dogs that were provided to us that still have to be forensically provided that autopsy or necropsy, so to speak, and to determine their cause of death. And that is our best evidence right there.”
Missing animals
Investigators have said they cannot account for numerous dogs transferred to Miranda’s Rescue. Miranda said many were adopted informally, without paperwork or fees. Miranda acknowledged the gaps. “I didn’t make them fill out paperwork,” said Miranda. “There’s no tracking of those dogs.” He said others were returned to originating shelters or reclaimed by owners. “If there was an option for the dog, the dog went back. I’m tired of being accused of doing all these horrible things.” Miranda said he now requires photos of adopters with license plates visible to help track adoptions.
Excavation teams recovered 117 dogs from multiple pits on the property in late June, many with bullet fragments lodged in their skulls. Several dogs were found in layered deposits, and witnesses reported seeing Miranda dumping straw into the pit days before the search.
Honsal previously said investigators are following up on newly processed microchip data, which shows that about 85 animals need to be tracked to previous locations. He said those records give detectives a starting point for building each animal’s history and determining what happened after it was transferred to Miranda’s Rescue.
“We have a lot of animals that are dead, but now we have to figure out individually every single one of those animals, how they trace back to Miranda’s Rescue,” said Honsal. “It’s not just simple to prove that an animal is dead, but the circumstances surrounding how the animal got there, what their temperament was like, were there any health issues or those kinds of things.”
Public backlash and threats
Miranda said the public response has been severe, including online harassment and threats. He had two large binders with color copies of Facebook user comments under articles and posts that were shared about the investigation. He showed messages he described as death threats. “His grandson should be turned into ground meat,” one message read.
Miranda said the sheriff’s office is following up on the threats.
The investigation has drawn intense public attention, including online campaigns, protests and threats.
“This is by far the worst thing that’s ever happened to me in my entire life,” said Miranda. “I’ve heard the rumors that I drown dogs in the river, and I use them for target practice. Never happened. It doesn’t matter what you say. It doesn’t matter what you say. It just continues.”
Miranda denied allegations that rescue funds supported his travel or a home in Las Vegas. He said his husband purchased the property after selling a Maui condo.
“Vegas is a place I love to go. What people aren’t realizing is, I have a husband that lived on Maui for 25 years. He sold his condo on Maui, bought a business outright in Las Vegas, and another condo. He paid for it. My husband had money before he met me. He had a whole life before we got married. Everybody just wants to focus on the negative narrative and blow it up into something that it’s not. The only frustrating thing for me is … I’ve been doing this for 31 years. I will be 56 this year. I don’t get to fly to one place? I like to go and relax for a week and come back,” said Miranda. “… last time people were waiting for me at the Arcata airport. They’ve posted all kinds of lies and vicious rumors about what they perceive as going on, and then AI generates stuff, and then the Pitchfork Gang comes out.”
A container full of a variety of leashes and harnesses. Shannon Miranda stated that during the investigation, they took over 600 collars as evidence while leaving other leashes and harnesses behind. (Maranda Vargas — The Times-Standard)
Shannon Miranda walks through the barn where dogs were quarantined and the site that the HCSO has identified as the primary spot where animals were euthanized. (Maranda Vargas — The Times-Standard)
A couple of dogs peeked out from the kennel run area at Miranda’s Rescue last week. (Maranda Vargas — The Times-Standard)
Large binders sit on top of Shannon Miranda’s bar. The folders contained color copies of Facebook and social media comments that were from local media articles and social media postings. Miranda showed a few posts that had wished harm on him or his family members. He said the HCSO is following up on the death threats. (Maranda Vargas — The Times-Standard)
Moving forward
Miranda said he plans to continue operating the rescue and adopt out remaining animals. “We still have animals here,” said Miranda. “Eventually, yeah, I’ll be taking animals in again. I just want people to focus on the good we’ve done. I’m not saying that we are all that as a rescue, but we’ve done a lot for this community, a lot, and people aren’t focusing on the hard work we’ve done. And yeah, it got overwhelming, but it is just so disheartening to see a county that I just absolutely loved has so many venomous people now.”
He said he hopes the investigation leads to clearer standards for shelters and rescues.
“If anything good comes out of this, I know a lot of other shelters have had to be accountable. As will I have to be for paperwork on where animals are, where they’re going. But the other shelters also have to be accountable for what animals they’re sending. They’re getting money when animals go out to keep their euthanasia numbers down, and just to send a dog off,” said Miranda. “And the nicest, sweetest, friendliest of a dog — look at all the family pets that have killed loved ones. You know, it’s just that they’re animals. They’re good until they’re not.”
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation into allegations of animal cruelty and fraud at Miranda’s Rescue is active and ongoing.
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Maranda Vargas can be reached at 707-441-0504
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