The Milo Fondation basically takes unwanted pets, houses them, and tries to find them owners. Volunteers house the pets until owners are found so according to the foundation, there were never really that many pets on the grounds to begin with. That, apparently, was too many. As soon as the foundation set up shop a little over half a year ago, neighbors and businesses started complaining.

To help alleviate problems, the foundation agreed to make changes to the building but the zoning board said it wouldn't matter as they ruled what the foundation had going was a kennel. Kennel's are verboten on Solano Avenue. A compromise was tried but nobody was budging. Says the awesomely named Zippy Collins, president of the Thousand Oaks Neighborhood Association, "This is Berkeley, after all. Everyone has so much self-righteous indignation. The neighborhood was totally divided on this."