Linda Blair Cited After 251 Dogs Found At LA County Property: Officials

ACTON, CA — Actress and animal welfare advocate Linda Blair was cited after Los Angeles County inspectors found 251 dogs on her rural property, county officials said Tuesday.

Blair was cited for operating an animal facility without a license and keeping more animals at a residence than permitted, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control.

The inspection was conducted Friday at the 2.5-acre property used by the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation following complaints that dogs were being kept in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, officials said. The facility is located in Acton, a rural community just outside the Antelope Valley.

The property had previously been licensed as an animal facility with permission to house up to 100 dogs, but the license expired in 2023 and was not renewed, according to the county. Inspectors found more than twice the number of dogs than was previously permitted.

No animals were removed during the inspection. Officials ordered the organization to obtain veterinary examinations for three dogs and correct deficiencies involving sanitation and animal housing, TMZ reported on Tuesday.

County officials did not say why the three dogs required veterinary attention or whether they were suffering from any specific condition.

Entertainment Weekly previously reported that county officials said none of the dogs showed signs of illness or injury.

More than 70 law enforcement personnel participated in the inspection, TMZ reported.

The inspection also involved representatives from the county departments of Regional Planning, Public Works and Public Health.

County officials said authorities previously made 24 total attempts to assess the property: Regional Planning made nine attempts to schedule an inspection and animal control officials made another 15 attempts over three years to contact the property owner.

Those efforts went unanswered or were refused, leaving officials to obtain a judicial inspection warrant, the county said.

TMZ also reported that neighbors had raised concerns for years about the number of dogs being kept at the property.

Blair, 67, said in a social media video that the inspection involved paperwork and facility diagrams. She also described the attention surrounding the inspection as an opportunity to highlight the challenges facing animal rescues.

“This has been quite the experience, and I look at it as a positive,” Blair said. “We now have more light shed on animal welfare and animal rescue and the plight of the animals than ever before.”

Blair, best known for starring in the 1973 horror film “The Exorcist,” founded the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation in 2003. The nonprofit rehabilitates dogs and works to place them in adoptive homes.

She has advocated extensively for pit bulls and other dogs commonly described as bully breeds.

Blair called for additional donations to support spay and neuter programs and urged the public not to abandon animals.

“This does not have to be a fight,” Blair said. “It has to be everybody’s support in making a better world.”

The county’s investigation remains active.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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