Animal Care Services Entrance

The City of Long Beach Animal Care Services Bureau (ACS) invites the community to its 2015 Open House, to take place from 10:00AM to noon on Saturday, Jan. 24. The shelter is located at 7700 E. Spring St. in Long Beach. No RSVP is necessary—all residents, friends and guests (but leave Fido at home!) are welcome to attend.

“In the past year, ACS was able to increase the number of animals being adopted and rescued, establish new partnerships, increase the live release rates, and collaborate with local and national organizations to re-home guests in their care,” says George Chapjian, director of Parks, Recreation and Marine, under whose jurisdiction the shelter has been since 2011. “The coming year promises to be an exciting year for building on the vision of becoming California’s safest large city for people and animals”

A report card that gives an overview of the past year’s accomplishments will be presented, as will be an exciting preview of opportunities available for residents in 2015. Refreshments, tours and a brief question-and-answer session from residents will be included. Information on animal adoption, volunteering, spay and neuter programs, and animal care will be available.

ACS manager Ted Stevens with one of the lucky residents who found a forever home

For more information on this or other Animal Care Services opportunities, please call (562) 570-PETS (7387), or visit the ACS website. Check out the stories of the shelter’s adoptive pets on the Facebook page. For more information about Long Beach Animal Care Services,

Virtually Pets

ACS is located in the P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village (see address above), sharing the location with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (spcaLA). The entrance to the shelter for the adoptions is pictured at the beginning of the article. Here are more of the pets wanting forever homes; to see more, visit the shelter Facebook page or the ShelterMe website, with photos by Sara Cozolino, Jim Nista and others.

Rose

Most of the pets that shelters take in are pit bulls, which the Pit Bull Rescue Center states as comprising American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers and American bull terriers. Another source citing the intake statistics at 23 percent and the euthanasia rate as 50 percent. This is attributed to mainly to backyard breeding and accidental litters. On the other hand, the number of pit bull breeds at the end of leashes, wagging their tails behind them and grinning dopey grins seems to be on the increase. Rose is one such girl; she’s a year old, playful and is described by shelter staff as “a goofball.” She has been taught to sit and shake hands and is on the petite side for an American Staffie. Ask for ID#A538971.

Oliver

Oliver is an 8-month-old male who most likely was a result of breeding season (see Kibble). He’s neutered now an d is as playful and affectionate as he is beautiful. To adopt Oliver, ask for ID#A537702.

Kibble

Beat the HEAT: Alley Cat Allies Reminds Cat Owners and Caregivers to Spay and Neuter before Kitten Season

Most of the good people who correctly maintain Long Beach’s community cats are fully aware of the need to spay and neuter cats living in colonies in Long Beach. However, people owning unaltered indoor/outdoor cats in Long Beach (and that’s illegal, according to Long Beach Municipal Code 6.16.085, unless the cat has a veterinarian-certified medical condition that prevents it) or are feeding colony cats without proper knowledge of maintenance may not have considered this.

Alley Cat Allies (ACA) reminds communities that winter is the ideal time to spay and neuter cats to get ahead of prime kitten season and end the breeding cycle before it starts.

“The time for prevention is now,” says Becky Robinson, ACA president and founder. “Cats may even be pregnant before the snow melts. For community cats, Trap-Neuter-Return is the most effective way to reduce the impact of kitten season by preventing litters.”

Spring is a notoriously difficult time for animal shelters in every community across the country because multiple litters of kittens are impounded every day once kitten season begins, and that includes our own shelter.

“Most animal shelters are not equipped to care for young kittens who have been separated from their mother too early,” says Ellen Jefferson, a licensed veterinarian who serves as Executive Director of Austin Pets Alive! and an advisor to Alley Cat Allies. “Neonatal kittens require around-the-clock care from trained staff or foster homes. Without a network in place to care for neonatal kittens, many, if not all of them, will be killed in the shelter.” Cats can even become pregnant at four months. (More on this in a future Scratching Post.)

If you have or are caring for non-neutered cats in Long Beach, please contact ACA or Stray Cat Alliance for help. Low-cost spay/neuter is available at Golden State Humane Society in Long Beach and at the Spay/Neuter Project of Los Angeles (SNP-LA) in San Pedro. Residents with proof of low-income status ($30,000 a year or less) are encouraged to contact Fix Long Beach.

ACA provides additional help here or request a list of local resources, including spay/neuter clinics and community cat organizations, here. Please help our shelter to further decrease its euthanasia numbers

Pet Projects

Friends of Long Beach Animals Humane Education Program, Free, Ongoing

Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA) stands by its word when it says it actively supports teaching children kindness to and respect for animals. FOLBA has provided several copies of humane books to all of the libraries in the Long Beach Unified School District, all the Public Libraries in Long Beach and Signal Hill, as well as to Raising-a-Reader and to Mary Bethune Transitional Center (assisting homeless children who need reading improvement so they can attend regular LBUSD classes). This interactive humane education program is free to all schools in the Long Beach Unified School District, Girl and Boy Scout Troops, Long Beach Parks and Libraries and Community Groups. Basic elements of the program are as follows:

• Humane treatment of all living creatures
• Basic pet care
• Proper behavior around animals
• Responsibilities and rewards of pet ownership
• Handouts and study materials
• Follow-up activities

For information, contact: FRIENDS’ Office 562-988-7647 or Deborah Turner 562-985-3459

Low-Cost Pet Vaccination Clinics, Jan. 31, 10:00AM-11: 30AM Arbor Dog Park, 4665 Lampson Ave. Seal Beach

Pet owners must be 18 years or older. All pets must be on leashes or in carriers. Only healthy and non-pregnant animals will be vaccinated. If you have a prior rabies vaccine certificate, license tag or license renewal notice for your pet, please bring it with you to the clinic. Vaccination and microchip services are provided for pets residing in any city. Licensing service is provided for residents within our jurisdiction: Long Beach, Signal Hill, Cerritos, Los Alamitos and Seal Beach. For more service information and pricing please visit Southern California Veterinary Vaccine Clinicshttp://www.scvvc.com/.

2015 Haute Dogs Bulldog Beauty Contest and Haute Dogs Pageant, Feb. 7, begins 9:30AM, Marine Stadium, Long Beach, 5225 E. Paoli Way, Long Beach

So many dogs, so many contests! Do you have a beautiful bulldog? a dog with a great smile? a super senior? Does your pooch have fashionistic tendencies? This long-running annual event is one of Haute Dogs’ most successful and promises a great time. Spectators are more than welcome! Don’t have a dog? Adopt one at this event—cats, too! Click here for event information, including registration and contests. Event benefits shelters and rescues.

Haute Dogs Long Beach Shelter Valentine’s Day Card Contest; ongoing up to Feb. 8; judging at noon, Feb. 8; Long Beach Animal Care Services, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach

Awww, who’s yer baby? Haute Dogs, Justin Rudd and Westerly School are sponsoring its annual Valentine’s Day contest for the nearly 200 pets at our shelter at Long Beach Animal Care Services. They deserve affection as much as any animal lucky enough to live in a loving, caring household, and this is an opportunity to not only provide it for pets but also to teach children this valuable lesson. Any interested K–12 student is invited to create a handmade card (with no specified pet) and send or deliver it to the shelter’s address (see headline above) before noon, Feb. 8, specifying the contest on the envelope. Entrants must write their name, grade level, the teacher’s name and school name on the back of the card. Cards will not be returned. Justin Rudd and the Long Beach Beauty Queens will host the event; the winner will receive a pizza party for his or her classmates or group of friends. And what’s Valentine’s Day without a dating service? In addition to the contest, the public is invited to come view the cards and their creators, spend time with the animals and fall in love during the special Yappy Hour from noon to 1 p.m., where punch and cookies will be served to human guests by students at Westerly School! If you’re looking for love, you’ve come to the right place. Click here for more info.