A remote no-kill animal rescue in Northern California is under investigation after it was alleged that the founder had shot, killed, and buried a few of the shelter’s dogs.
Shannon Miranda runs Miranda’s Rescue, a nonprofit that rescues dogs from California animal shelters.
According to a search warrant affidavit submitted by Humboldt County Sheriff’s Detective Julian Aguilera, and reviewed by Lost Coast Outpost, the investigation follows complaints made by two women who trespassed into Miranda’s Rescue on April 2026 night, and dug up the carcasses of eight dogs from a “mass grave” at the back of the property.
The women claimed that earlier in the day on April 26, 2026, a motion-activated trail camera captured Miranda driving a tractor to bump the bodies of the dead dogs into a hole.
Investigators said that they found the remains of eight dead dogs, covered in dirt and blood, at the “mass grave.” The sheriff’s deputies said that some of these dead dog bodies appeared to have gunshot wounds to the head.
Earlier this month, investigators served a search warrant at the Rescue and collected evidence. At the same time, county animal control officials examined the animals that were still alive and under the Rescue’s care, the sheriff’s office said. Authorities added that six of the eight dead dogs had microchips, including one that was reportedly brought to the facility less than a month ago.
According to the affidavit, Zora was at Oakland Animal Services before being transferred to Miranda Rescue. A manager from the Services claimed that the dog was healthy and showed no temperament issues before being moved. But an employee at the shelter told authorities they received a message from Miranda on April 25 with a picture of a leashed Zora and the words, “Zora adopted.”
Meanwhile, Miranda told investigators that he did not kill or dump the eight dogs. He, however, admitted to authorities that the Rescue was not really a “no-kill” facility, adding that he typically called in veterinarians to euthanize animals, or would sometimes shoot them himself to put an end to their suffering.
For animal shelters to be considered “no-kill”, they should have a 90 percent placement rate or “live release rate”, meaning that at least 90 percent of the animals admitted there are adopted, transferred, or returned to their owners. These shelters have limited capacity, and owners cannot euthanize animals to make room for new arrivals.
However, the “no kill” does not mean “zero kills” with the remaining ten percent typically reserved for the euthanization of animals who are terminally ill or have medically untreatable conditions, or animals who pose a safety risk to the public because of behavioral issues.
As per Lost Coast Outpost, Detective Aguilera stated in the affidavit that he believes that Shannon killed the dogs so that he could accept more from Oakland Animal Services for his personal financial gains.
The affidavit claimed that from 2023 to 2025, the Oakland Animal Services transferred 445 animals to Miranda Rescue. Miranda would have earned $178,000 if the payment for each transfer had been $400 per dog, as the affidavit stated, which is the lower end of the range.
The case is still under investigation, with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office looking into claims of felony animal abuse, animal cruelty, fraud, and conspiracy. As of Wednesday, May 20, 2026, police have neither made any arrests nor filed any charges.
