The History of the Los Angeles Animal Services Department

The city of Los Angeles grew in human population from XX to XX in the 20^th century.  That growth was also reflected in the pets these people kept.   For both humans and non-humans in the 20^th century, population growth came with concerns about overpopulation, debates about controlling reproduction through birth control and sterilization, and in the case of animals, the deliberate activity of euthanasia.