Virtually Pets
On Friday, August 11, Kitty Hall will have its third annual hearing at Long Beach City Hall and also have its video debut. Shelter Me, the PBS series that spotlights shelter animals and the open-admission shelters (some call them “kill shelters”; I don’t, because the onus shouldn’t be on shelter staff) that try the impossible to adopt every pet who’s brought in.
There will be over 40 candidates for adoption at Kitty Hall, which is approximately one-third of the 135 candidates for the California gubernatorial election in 2003. That was a lot of candidates; unlike that race, all of these cats should be winners. C’mon down and meet these sweeties and all the others waiting to go home.
Miss Demeanor’s (ID#A591200) name has two interpretations—just like every cat! This tortie girl is so sweet and affectionate and would love to finally have a forever home! She’s about 2 years old.
Tootles (ID#A591760) and Tickles (ID#A591758) were found as strays. They’re male siblings and are just as much fun as they’re names suggest!
Who would dump a 14-year-old cat at the shelter after having her since she was a kitten? Glorie’s (ID#A593605) family moved and for some unknown reason didn’t take her along. So now, after having lived with people all her life, she’s now in a kennel. She’s got some good years left—can you make them truly golden ones.
Mark Your Calendars (the People Way)
Countin’ the Days in Humane Ways
It seems as if every year, numerous pet calendars crop up faster than you can say “penthouse.” They aren’t the ones you can buy online or at bookstores—full-color glossies of strangers with fur, feathers or scales adorning each month. The pets in these calendars live in actual homes—maybe yours—and are selected through donations to pet rescues. I figured that a separate section is in order until the entry deadline. Pick your pet picture and enter!
Helen Sanders CatPAWS “Show Us Your Kitties” Calendar Fund-Raiser
To September 1 at this link
$5 donation per initial entry, $1 donation for each subsequent vote
Hey, CatPAWS Community and all fellow Cat Lovers! It is time for you to…Show Us Your Kitties! CatPAWS’ annual Calendar Contest Fund-Raiser has begun! Submit photos of your beautiful cats and kittens for a chance to be featured in the 2018 Show Us Your Kitties Calendar! It’s simple—submit an entry photo of your cat or every cat that has touched your heart. The 12 cats that raise the most donations in the form of votes will have their photos featured as one of the months in the calendar, and the cat or kitten with the most total votes will be featured on the cover. All donations will cover CatPAWS’s rescue efforts and medical bills. Let’s honor all those cats or kittens we’ve been privileged to love and raise money for those who haven’t had the chance yet. Submit your photos here and read the full set of rules.
‘I Rescued My Humans!’ K9 Kismet Calendar Fund-Raiser
To September 1 at this link
$12 entry fee; $1 per vote
Want to make your pet feel special? Reserve a day for them! Your pet’s photo will appear on the day or days of your choice. Just choose your favorite photo, choose the day or days, and donate $12 per day. First come, first served—once a day has been reserved, it will no longer be available. You can donate to vote for your favorite entry at $1 per vote—the pet with the most votes will be the “cover pet”! The next 12 top-vote recipients will become the K9 Kismet Calendar Pet for each calendar month between January and December 2018. A great twist is that people can submit pictures of any pet and include humans in the picture, which is optional. Follow this link to submit your photo and to read the full set of rules.
Friends of El Dorado Dog Park Holiday Bone-anza and Calendar Contest
Sunday, November 19, 10AM–4:00PM (Calendar Contest Entry Deadline September 30), El Dorado Dog Park, 7550 East Spring Street, Long Beach
Calendar Contest free to enter: Bone-anza free to attend
Friends of El Dorado Dog Park is announcing its third-annual Pet Photo Calendar Contest and fundraiser. The top winner will be on the cover page, and the next 12 winners will each have their own calendar month. The Calendar Contest winners will be announced at 11:00AM at the Holiday Bone-Anza. The 2018 calendar will be available to purchase for $20 at the event. Even if your entry isn’t selected as a winner, every dog entered will be spotlighted in the calendar. Application is available here.
This year’s Bone-anza will be a fun-filled event featuring food trucks, vendors for your holiday shopping, contests, a DJ featuring Christmas sounds, elves, your doggie’s photo with Santa, and a silent auction and raffle featuring great gifts from our sponsors.
All proceeds from both the calendar and the event will go to support enhancements of the El Dorado Dog Park.
Places to Go, Pets to Support
Sgt. Pepper’s Dueling Pianos Fund-Raiser for spcaLA
Fridays in August, 6:00PM–2:00AM, Sgt. Pepper’s Dueling Pianos, 91 South Pine Street, Long Beach
Free Admission with donated item
Donate an item from spcaLA’s wish list, found here, and enjoy a fun evening. Maybe you’ll hear “Doggie in the Window” or “Kitten on the Keys.”
spcaLA ‘Are You Kitten Me?’ Special Adoption Rates
Weekends in August, 10AM–4PM, spcaLA at P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Center, 7700 East Spring Street, Long Beach
$20 per cat, or $20 for a pair—not necessarily matched
Come find the cat or cats of your dreams for a rate so low that you’ll be able to double up on the toys! Guidelines for qualified adopters available here. Kitties may be seen here.
Third Annual Kitty Hall Adoption Event
Friday, August 11, 11:00AM–3:00PM, City Hall, 333 West Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach
Free to greet kitties; adoption fees apply
A full slate of aye votes for the kitties! Mayor Robert Garcia will be hosting Long Beach Animal Care Services’ most successful adoption event! Cast your vote for the best cat (or plural cat) for your loving, forever home!
Fix Long Beach Free Spay/Neuter Clinic
Saturday, August 12, 7:30AM–4:00PM, Houghton Park, 6500 Atlantic Avenue (near Jordan High), Long Beach
Free to qualifying residents; free microchips; low-cost shots ($10 each); $10 flea med doses
The grassroots free spay/neuter organization Fix Long Beach invites you to make an appointment for your unfixed dog, or get vouchers for free procedures for your dog or cat! These clinics are generously sponsored through Hope for Paws and Eldad Hagar.
Visit this link for qualifications and an application for your appointment. There is also a donation button to help Fix Long Beach continue their efforts. Click the organization’s Amazon Wish List link to donate items, or bring them to the event if you find a better deal!
Let’s continue to help make Long Beach no kill, one pet at a time!
‘Broadway on Broadway’ Fund-Raiser for Live Love Pet Care and Animal Rescue
Saturday, August 12, 4:00PM–7PM, The Brit, 1744 East Broadway, Long Beach
Bar menu, food menu and raffle-ticket prices vary
You haven’t lived until you’ve been blessed by one of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Enjoy an early evening of debauchery and delightful people who support the pets whose lives this tireless organization saves. No chewing on the rosary beads.
Seal Beach Animal Care Center’s ‘Dog Days of Summer’
Saturday, August 12, 11:00AM–4:30PM, Seal Beach Animal Care Center, 1700 Adolfo Lopez Drive, Seal Beach
Free event
Enjoy the hula at this Hawaiian-style event as dogs fan you with their wagging tails in the balmy air and cats bat at your grass skirt. This kid-friendly luau offers snow cones and other treats, chances to win great raffle prizes, and an opportunity to meet all of Seal Beach Animal Care Center’s adoptable pets!
Saving Kittens Workshop and “Kitten Shower”
Monday, August 14, 6:00PM–8:00PM, Veterans Park Community Center, 101 East 28th Street, Long Beach
Tickets $10, available at the Kitten Lady website and the Eventbrite link
The Little Lion Foundation, Helen Sanders CatPAWS and City of Long Beach Animal Care Services are teaming up to hold a two-hour information-packed Saving Kittens Workshop with Hannah Shaw, the orphaned-kitten warrior known as The Kitten Lady. Kitten Season pretty much runs all year long here in Long Beach, and it’s in full swing now—the shelter and rescues are full, and we need people to save the lives of some of the most helpless but promising creatures in the world—neonatal kittens who may have been born just hours before they’ve reached decent human contact. You will learn everything there is to know about saving kittens’ lives in this fun, interactive event! Our friends at Pet Food Express will be there, too! We hope that this event will find lots of fosters hyped and ready to save more tiny lives!
This will also be a Kitten Shower, so please bring kitten donations such as KMR bottles (have your pet-store employee point out the ones that are used for neonatal kittens), Nulo brand chicken and turkey canned food, baby blankets, and kitten toys! We have 175 seats to fill, and they’ll likely fill up quickly, so claim them now! See event heading for website.
Let’s save some tiny but mighty lives because every cat deserves to roar!
Summer Events with Shelter Pets!
Thursday, August 18–Thursday, August 24, Band events’ van arrival at approximately 4:30PM, Movies in the Park’s van arrival at approximately 6:00PM. See schedule for locations.
Events are free; adoption fees apply (senior pets are discounted at $20!)
Don’t you love previews of coming attractions? At this year’s Summer Events at our parks and beaches, you can preview our pets and make room for some of them in your home! ACS’s new mobile vehicle will be attending all of these events before they start and leave when they begin. A heads-up—and a tails up—for you!
Municipal Band events start at 6:30-Van will arrive around 4:30-5:00pm
Movies in the Park start at Dusk (approximately 8:00pm)-Van will arrive around 6-6:30pm
Van is estimated to leave when the event starts.
August Events
8/18—Friday—Silverado Park, 1545 W 31st Street, Long Beach (Movie in the Park)
8/24—Scherer Park, 430 E 49th Street, Long Beach (Movie in the Park)
Pet Adoption Event at PFE
Saturday, August 5, 11:00AM–3:00PM, Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach
Adoption fees apply
Find your new BFF and everything that he or she could ever want or need, in one place. Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) and other rescues will be bringing some wonderful dogs ready to go home with their new people. Everything is high quality at Pet Food Express, and that includes the adoptive pets! Check out the Cat Adoption Center, featuring fine felines from Long Beach Animal Care Services and Stray Cat Alliance.
Frostbites Fund-Raiser for spcaLA
Wednesday, August 9, noon–10:30PM, Frostbites, 1827 Ximeno Avenue, Long Beach
Menu prices apply
Print out the above flier or show it to the cashier at this link on your mobile device the cashier from your mobile device, and 20 percent of your purchase will be donated to spcaLA to ensure that the pets have their just desserts!
Clear the Shelters!
Saturday, August 19, 10:00AM–3:30PM, P. D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village and Education Center, 7700 East Spring Street, Long Beach
Reduced adoption fee of $20 at Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) and at spcaLA, both located in the Village. No parking fee for Village visitors.
Thank you, NBC4! The TV conglom (KNBC and Telemundo 52 Los Angeles/KVEA) is producing its annual event that focuses both camera and attention on shelters and the pets that live there, with emphasis on getting them all loving homes so that they can curl up and watch the tube with you! Clear the Shelters involves more than 60 animal shelters and rescue organizations throughout Southern California, offering a reduced adoption fee of $20 on Saturday, August 19. Clear the Shelters raises awareness about the benefits of pet adoption and aims to reduce the animal overpopulation at local shelters. You may have noticed stories on their channel to spotlight the importance of spaying and neutering, the benefits of microchipping, and helping families find the right pet for their homes. The campaign culminates on August 19 on a live broadcast on NBC4’s Today in LA at 7AM and Telemundo 52 at shelters throughout the Southland, continuing all day. News anchors and reporters will be present at several shelters to celebrate with families and their new pets. The evening newscasts will recap the day with success stories and highlights. VCA Animal Hospitals’ health teams will be at the shelters to offer a limited health guarantee and a certificate for a free first exam to all new pet owners to ensure a healthy start. For more information about this ambitious project, visit the website.
Eat Thai and Support the Great Pyrenees!
Saturday, August 19, 10:45–1:00AM, and Tuesday, August 22, 11:00AM–11:00pm, Thai Silk Restaurant, 1506 East Broadway, Long Beach
Menu prices apply
Enjoy delicious Thai food while help save the Great Pyrenees dogs. You pay us half and donate other half thru National Great Pyrenees rescue by voting for “The 3 Stooges” Every cent of your donation is tax deductible and goes to a rescue you can trust.
Grand Opening of the Long Beach Bee Sanctuary
Saturday, September 9, 10:00AM–noon, Orange Avenue, north of Willow Springs Park between Spring and Willow streets, Long Beach
Free event
The Long Beach Beekeepers invite you to the grand opening of our new sanctuary—a collaborative project betweenEagle Scout candidate Mauri Lathouwers, his family and Boy Scout Troop 105 and the Long Beach Beekeepers. Visitors’ parking is on the street or in the park. Light refreshments, shade and restrooms will be provided. Speeches will be few and short.—very little buzz and lotsa honey! For their help in turning our vision of a municipal refuge for bees into reality, Long Beach Beekeepers thanks the City of Long Beach, current and former City Council members, the city Office of Sustainability, the city Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine and its current and former commissioners, Long Beach attorney David M. Zeligs, and Mauri Lathouwers, his family and Boy Scout Troop 105.
spcaLA September Foster Class
Saturday, September 16, 10:00AM–noon, P. D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village and Education Center, 7700 East Spring Street, Long Beach
Free event—they provide supplies, and you provide the home and love. No parking fee for Village visitors.
Want to help a cat or a dog become adoptable? Submit an application (available here) and then come to a foster class!
Ongoing
Free Pet Food Distributions
Papa, a big “teddy bear’ of a dog, sits with his human in Ashlee’s Pet Care station at Beacon for Him.
Beacon for Him has extended an outreach for people experiencing homelessness and their pets. Pet food, primarily dog food, is available at their facility at 439 West Anaheim Street, Mondays from 9:00AM to noon and Saturdays from noon to 3:00PM. A dog-washing station with a stainless-steel tub is also available onsite at these hours. Donations and supplies such as shampoo, flea control and, of course, pet food are always gratefully accepted.
The Pet Food Bank is sponsored by Christian Outreach in Action. COA is located at 515 E 3rd St, Long Beach. Hours are Thursday from 9:00AM to 11:00AM.
Shelter-Enrichment Supplies Needed for ACS Dogs!
Drop-off: Wednesdays through Fridays, 10:00AM–5:30PM and Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00AM–4:00PM, 7700 East Spring Street, Long Beach
Individual donations requested
ACS is continuing our kennel enrichment activities for our canine guests here and could use so more donations (there are plenty for the cats!). Here is what’s needed:
- creamy peanut butter
- yogurt
- beef broth (canned or in the box)
- chicken broth (canned or in the box)
- incense
- carabiner clips (heavy duty)
- ice cube trays
Donations are tax deductible. Our pups say thanks so much!
IndieGoGo Fund-Raiser for Trots Dogs Incorporated
Until beginning of September
Individual donations
Long Beach resident Johanna “JoJo” Stanford started Trots Dogs Inc. in 2009 after being inspired by Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer. Stanford says that her goal is “to provide Long Beach with a dog-training facility with structured daycare and boarding that accepts all dogs regardless of temperament or behavior by educating staff, dogs and owners. Our mission is to create a community of people who understand their dogs and want to have a loving, balanced relationship.”
Stanford’s group is looking to purchase about 10,000 square feet of warehouse space with a potty area and are partnering with a design group. Click on the link in the header to find out all the details of this enterprise.
“You’ll be helping us fund a model that could turn a ‘dog-friendly city’ into a city of friendly dogs,” Stanford said. “Imagine the possibilities of having an entire city of balanced dogs who are happy, obedient, well behaved and pay attention.”
Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) Information for Low-Cost Vaccinations and Spay/Neuter Clinics
7700 East Spring Street at entrance to El Dorado Park (no fee for shelter visitors), Long Beach
Prices vary
Vouchers that take a big bite, so to speak, out of the cost of spay/neuter procedures are available at ACS during their public hours. Visit this link for information on clinics that accept the vouchers and for other spay/neuter assistance.
For low-cost vaccines, visit this link. Note that pet owners must be 18 years or older, all pets must be on leashes or in carriers, and only healthy and non-pregnant animals will be vaccinated. Please bring prior vaccination information with you to the clinic. Vaccination and microchip services are provided for pets residing in any city. Licensing is provided for residents within our jurisdiction at Saturday clinics; please bring your renewal notice and rabies certificate with you.