Dead things I have encountered while walking in L.A. (and occasionally other places)
2012:
September 20, rat, on Washington Blvd. in Venice
September 12, possum, on Sepulveda Blvd. between Normandie and Western
September 7, dog, on Alondra Blvd. in Compton
July 14, bird, on Argyle near Franklin
July 7, bird, on Whittier Blvd. near Eastern
July 1, bird, on Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Chatsworth
April 6, just a paw, on Durfee Rd. near Rosemead Blvd.
April 3, a fragrant cat (on cardboard), on Francisquito near Hacienda Blvd. in West Covina
February 24, dog, on Avalon Blvd. near Rosecrans
No picture. You don't want to see it. If you think you do, you'll have to click the link below.
Escape to the rest of my February 24 walk
Click here if you must.
January 29, dog, on South Broadway near 41st
2011:
December 31, unknown, on Vermont Ave. between Carson St. and Torrance Blvd.
December 24, rat, on 190th St. near Vermont Ave.
December 17, pigeon, on Sepulveda Blvd. in Torrance
December 9, raccoon, on Sepulveda Blvd. in Carson
November 13, lizard, on Argyle Ave. in Hollywood
October 22, I have no idea, on Baldwin Ave. in Rosemead
October 16, crow, on Huntington Dr. in South Pasadena
September 15, dog (I think), on Central Ave. in Compton
July 2, bird, still egg-shaped, on Myrtle Ave. in Monrovia
June 18, squirrel, on Monterey Rd. in South Pasadena
June 9, a couple of pigeaons, on Downey Rd. under the BNSF Railroad in Vernon.
A little farther down Downey Rd, either 2 birds or a bird split in half.
The rest of my June 9 walk
May 20, chicken, on Main St. near 126th. Why did the chicken cross the road? I don't know, but it turned out to be a bad idea.
March 9, part of a raccoon (or cat?), on Grand Ave. in Walnut.
March 9, definitely a raccoon, a little farther down on Grand Ave, still in Walnut.
March 5, cat, on Arrow Highway in Azusa.
2010:
December 27, cat, on Cypress Ave. in Cypress Park
December 24, mangled dog, on Rosecrans Ave. somewhere around the western edge of Compton, included only in the interest of completeness
No picture on this page. It's too intense to post here for the casual observer to stumble across, so if you REALLY want to see it, you'll have to click the link below. I don't recommend it.
But here's the rest of my December 24 walk
Click here if you must. WARNING: CANNOT BE UNSEEN!
June 13, bird on its back, on Eastern Ave. in Bell Gardens
May 15, bird, on W. 3rd St. between Rampart and Hoover
March 27, unrecognizable pile of fur, on Rosemead Blvd. just south of Durfee Ave.
January 28, bird, on Las Tunas Dr. in Arcadia
2009:
November 7, cat, on Laurel Canyon Blvd. in Pacoima
October 24, rat, on Gower just south of Franklin in Hollywood
March 28, bird (or at least feathers), on Western Ave. near the 105
2008:
December 6, tilapia washed up on the shore at Salton Sea Beach. The "sand" here consists almost entirely of the bones of dead fish and barnacles.
This wasn't a walk, it was a short road trip.
Here's what else we saw.
October 19, pigeon surrounded by dog turds and other trash, on Pico Blvd. between La Brea and Hauser. I hope when it's my turn, it's in less unpleasant surroundings.
October 5, on N. Fresno St. just south of McKinley in Fresno. Some sort of creature, most likely a squirrel, hanging from a power line.
September 7, bird, on Eastern Ave. just south of 1st St. in East L.A.
June 15, dog, on East Olympic Blvd. between Alameda St. and Santa Fe Ave. This one is almost as disturbing as the cat from November 2002.
May 26, rat (in the beak of a bird which is not dead), El Dorado Nature Center in Long Beach. In the second picture the bird is just about to swallow the rat. Seconds later the bird flew off with a big bulge in its neck.
April 20, something furry, on Cahuenga Blvd in North Hollywood
March 9, cat, on Rosemead Blvd in South El Monte
February 23, skunk (with golf balls), at Fountain and Sanborn in Silverlake
January 13, pigeon, on Sepulveda Blvd. just outside the National Cemetery in Westwood
January 12, bird, apparently quite recently deceased, on Brand Blvd. in San Fernando
2007:
November 29, just an unrecognizable pile of fur, on Wentworth St. in Shadow Hills
September 1, a bird maybe, on Willow St. in Long Beach around El Dorado Park. Looks like fur, but there are definitely feathers. 2 views, you be the judge.
June 9, skunk, on Beachwood Drive a little north of Franklin in Hollywood
May 19, rat, on Alameda Ave where it goes under the railroad in Burbank
May 5, pigeon, I think, on Imperial Highway in Willowbrook
January 20, squirrel, Montecito Heights
January 7, a little bird, on Durfee Rd in the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area
2006:
December 23, cat, on Gower St in Hollywood
December 2, squirrel, on San Marino Ave in San Marino
November 24, bird, alongside the L.A. River near Atlantic Blvd.
October 28, cockroach, on Soto St. near Olympic
The rest of my October 28 walk
Why do cockroaches die on their backs?
May 6, skunk, off to the side of Lake Hollywood Drive, north of the reservoir
April 8, some sort of bird, a 2-dimensional snake, and a squirrel, all found in Turnbull Canyon and Oak Canyon in Hacienda Heights.
2005:
November 27 in Hollenbeck Park. Your guess is as good as mine. Colorful, isn't it? I'm not sure this is a complete animal, or if it was an animal at all. Maybe a fruit or a vegetable? Maybe something Not Of This Earth. Maybe it came out of the sky. An Unidentified Splattered Object. The flies like it though.
November 13, cute little rat, on Del Mar Avenue in San Gabriel. Two views.
November 6, pigeon, in a lovely asphalt-and-trees park at District and Atlantic in Vernon. Nice feathers.
May 30, Memorial Day. First, a squirrel just a couple of hundred feet from home.
It's still Memorial Day. A pigeon, on Compton Blvd. in Compton.
2004:
December 11, possum, on Florence Ave. in Inglewood. Appropriately, right outside a cemetery.
Also December 11, a turtle, in MacArthur Park
November 26, cockroach, on Bandini Blvd. in Vernon
September 18, squirrel, Whittier Narrows Recreation Area. Two views.
July 17, bird (probably a pigeon), on Downey Road where it goes under the BNSF Railroad just south of Washington Blvd. There were several other dead birds nearby, as well as a furry 4-legged creature. Vernon does not appear to be hospitable to wildlife.
2003:
November 30, a cat maybe, on Mission Rd. on the western edge of Alhambra. Decomposed beyond recognition, so it could be something else.
Still November 30, a skunk, on San Gabriel Blvd. in San Marino. It didn't have much fragrance left, so it must have already been there for a while.
September 9, on Beachwood Drive about a quarter-mile north of Franklin. I think this used to be a possum. Despite the appearance of feathers, notice the paw.
May 25, rat, on Alameda Street in front of Union Station
2002:
November 2, cat, just off Slauson Avenue at the L.A. River. After all these years, I still think this is the most disturbing one I've ever posted.
September 19, rat in my carport
August 18, rat, on Beverly Blvd. near Downtown
August 14, squirrel, on 6th Avenue in Eugene, Oregon
Okay, this isn't something dead, it's worse. August 11, on 1st Street between Boyle Avenue and State Street. I think a dog swallowed a rag and it passed through undigested. Gut floss. Disgusting.
The one that started it all. July 28, 2002. Dead cat in a Cosmic Pet Shuttle at Mission and North Main.
