Podcast Summary:

The Fame Game with Heidi & Spencer
Episode: "A Hero to the Animals: Fighting for the Lives of Dogs and Exposing Systematic Corruption with Joey Tuccio"
Date: December 11, 2025
Hosts: Spencer Pratt, Heidi Montag
Guest: Joey Tuccio

Episode Overview

This emotional and hard-hitting episode centers on the harrowing reality of animal rescue efforts on Los Angeles’ Skid Row, led by activist Joey Tuccio. The conversation dives deep into the neglect, abuse, and systemic failures affecting the city’s most vulnerable animals, while candidly exposing the bureaucratic corruption and governmental apathy perpetuating the crisis. Joey shares personal accounts of urban animal rescues, confronts local policies and officials by name, and calls for moral action, not politics, in helping both animals and people.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Becoming an Animal Rescuer (03:44–07:03)

• Joey’s Entry to Rescue Work:
  • Began 8 years ago after visiting a shelter “just to drop off blankets.”
  • Encountered the stark reality of shelter life, leading to the rescue of his first dog, Piper, but haunted by the memory of the dog left behind, Blue.

    "The thing I think about every single day is not Piper that I rescued... but the dog next to Piper, a dog named Blue...I don't know what happened to Blue. He might be dead." — Joey (07:19)

• Personal Toll:
  • Rescue work described as emotionally and psychologically taxing, with volunteers facing disturbing and haunting scenes continuously.

2. The Skid Row Crisis & Shocking Abuses (03:44–16:53)

• First Experiences on Skid Row:

  • Joey describes seeing rows of pit bulls in cages in the heat, no food or water—some bred, some for fighting.
  • Tells the story of Brave, a dog abused (beaten with a Hennessy bottle) and discarded for not being aggressive enough to fight.

    "He was hitting Brave over the head with a Hennessy bottle over and over again because he wanted Brave to get mad, so he could use him for fighting." — Joey (04:35)

  • First rescued Brave when the dog was found wandering, frothing at the mouth from heat.

• Increase in Severity:

  • States that the animal crisis has only worsened over the years, with law enforcement and officials failing to intervene.

3. Exposing Systemic Corruption by Name (07:03–16:53)

• Public Naming of Perpetrators and Officials:

  • Joey vows to stop protecting names, instead openly calling out individuals and organizations responsible for enabling abuse, for the first time on the record.

• Ineffectiveness of the City Response:

  • Direct criticism of Mayor Karen Bass and City Council members, noting years of petitions, protests, and silence.

  • Mentions protest efforts, including those at officials’ homes, with no response or acknowledgement.

  • The city’s newly launched "Task Force" to address animal neglect is described as “a disaster,” with police facilitating abused dogs being sold back to rescuers for cash (e.g., police mediating $200 payments for a dog’s release instead of arresting abusers).

    "The task force is embracing giving these people money. And they did." — Joey (11:44)

• Legal Loopholes & Enablers:

  • Explains how lack of address prevents prosecution on Skid Row.
  • Exposes groups like LA CAN, which allegedly enable chaos by threatening to sue police if they remove animals from homeless people, turning animal suffering into a business model.

4. Double Standards in Animal Protection (12:05–13:13)

• Contrast between Neighborhoods:

  • Spencer notes if animal abuse occurred in wealthy neighborhoods, there’d be arrests, but Skid Row exists under different rules.

    "If my neighbor was on video beating a dog, they’ll get arrested." — Spencer (12:05)

• Obstacles to Enforcement:

  • Discusses practical and systemic obstacles: citations can’t be enforced without addresses; known abusers use Skid Row as a safe haven because of these loopholes.

5. Neglect in Shelters & Lack of Communication (20:23–22:21)

• Shelter System Failures:

  • Police interventions mean dogs are taken as “evidence,” languishing in and often dying in overcrowded shelters instead of being rehomed.

    "We have the resources, we could help, but they're not listening. They're just throwing dogs in shelters..." — Joey (21:12)

6. Rescue Operations: Risks and Realities (19:10–24:34)

• On-the-Ground Negotiations:

  • Rescuers face aggressive and dangerous reactions, from threats of violence to demands for cash.

  • Vigilante rescuers described as sometimes the only ones willing to intervene.

    "It's been everything from 'get the fuck away from me' to taking out a knife...to 'give me $10, I'll give you the dog'..." — Joey (19:10)

• Systemic Disinterest:

  • Officials’ indifference described as deliberate, theorizing that addressing abuse would mean more dogs in shelters—a cost the city wants to avoid.

7. Solutions and Calls to Action (24:59–31:23)

• Enforce Existing Laws:

  • Joey insists no new laws or task forces are needed; just basic enforcement.

    "There’s all these laws that are here to protect the dogs. We don’t have to create a new task force. We don’t have to create new laws." — Joey (25:07)

• Demand Accountability:

  • The hosts and Joey urge listeners to hold specific officials responsible and vote for change, regardless of party affiliation.

    "If you're hearing this...you need to make sure you go out and vote and make sure you see these names. They are connected to the murder and torture of all these dogs in your communities." — Spencer (44:22)

• Expose and Humiliate Inaction:

  • Switch in advocacy from polite requests to public naming-and-shaming tactics.

    "Now it's time for them to be humiliated." — Joey (39:13)

8. Humanitarian Urgency and Intersectionality (37:45–38:05)

• Human and Animal Suffering Are Connected:

  • Emphasizes the suffering of unhoused people and neglected animals as mutually reinforcing symptoms of a broken system.

    "I feel bad for the people too, the non animal abusing people. And all you see is hundreds of people lined up trying to get into housing, trying to get into a warm bed at night." — Joey (27:38)

9. Bypassing Politics for Justice (43:37–46:00)

• Politics vs. Humanity:

  • Powerful pushback on accusations of partisanship—hosts and guest insist this is not a left/right issue, but about basic decency.

    "These are not partisan political issues. This is humanity. This is, do you have a soul?" — Spencer (44:22)
    "I don't care who runs against Karen Bass...what I care about, we care about, is justice." — Joey (44:53)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Feeling Overwhelmed:

  "There are many times where I feel overwhelmed and I don't want to do it anymore...Then I see what you guys are doing, I'm like, damn, it's amazing. So you guys keep me going." — Joey (03:43)

• On Institutional Excuses:

  "Why are these laws not being enforced? And she said, well, it's culturally insensitive...That's literally the same thing." — Joey, recounting a meeting with LA officials (40:22)

• On Skid Row Task Force Absurdity:

  "The police officer went to the rescuers and said, okay, he'll give you the dog for $200...Like, this is the task force." — Joey (11:44)

• On Animal Services Rigidity:

  "We told animal services many times, this guy is evil...they don’t do anything...they say, we need evidence...I’m like, here’s the evidence. So why do we need $200? It’s insane." — Joey (22:54–24:34)

• On Who’s to Blame:

  "There’s two people to blame...Karen Bass and it’s Newsom. Those are two people to blame, period. End of story.” — Joey (56:11)

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |--------------|---------------------------------------------------| | 03:44-07:03 | Joey’s origin story, first Skid Row rescue | | 10:03-11:44 | City’s denial, task force enabling abuse | | 19:10-20:23 | On-the-ground dangers of rescue work | | 25:07-29:00 | Solutions: enforce existing laws, jail abusers | | 39:13-40:22 | Public shaming as a tactic for accountability | | 43:37-46:00 | Rejecting politics; demanding humanity | | 53:15-56:11 | On officials’ absence and hopelessness |

Action Steps & How to Help

• Be Vocal and Make Waves:
  Joey advocates for robust, public pressure on officials—use social media to highlight abuses and demand accountability.
• Foster, Adopt, Support Real Rescues:
  Not just fostering/adopting, but supporting grassroots rescue operations that step in where the city fails.
• Vote Out Corrupt Officials:
  Research local representatives' records on these issues and vote accordingly.
• Bypass Red Tape:
  If you see a neglected or abused dog, intervene directly—and connect with grassroots rescuers like Joey’s group, “Starts With One Today.”

Closing Thoughts

This episode pulls back the curtain on the tragic reality of abandoned animals in LA’s most marginalized communities, laying blame squarely at the feet of bureaucrats, career politicians, and organizations turning pain into profit. Joey Tuccio’s stories, supported by Heidi and Spencer’s personal testimonies and passionate pleas, offer both a call to conscience and a practical guide to fighting for justice—animal and human alike—in the face of institutional apathy.

Guest IG: @joeytuccio
Rescue Efforts: @startswithonetoday
Hosts: Spencer Pratt, Heidi Montag