Virtually Pets
Photo by Kate Karp
It’s tempting to give the nickname Mother Goose to Long Beach Animal Care Services volunteer Michele McLeod, so I did. Here’s Mom G reading a book about rabbits to Angel, who resided in the ACS Bunny Barn until just the other day—she was adopted before she got to hear Pat the Bunny.
There are plenty left to go home with you, including Ivory (see below), if your name’s Alice or Grace Slick and want a white rabbit. There are all colors of the rabbit spectrum—you can go read to them as well as part of the shelter’s Pet Literacy program. And if you want to take any audience members home with you, that would be terrific.
All but the first rabbit are female.
Photos courtesy of Daniel Marolda, volunteer and head caretaker of the Bunny Barn
This little guy isn’t in the shelter—he’s in a foster home through the good works of animal advocate and author Deborah Turner. Read his short bio below, and if it touches your hear enough for you to want to take him home, contact the foster.
Mark Your Calendars (the People Way)
Fix Long Beach Free Spay/Neuter Clinic
Saturday, September 10, 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!
spcaLA Veggie Grill Fund-Raiser
Saturday, September 10, noon–4:00PM, Veggie Grill Restaurant, 6451 Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach
Menu prices apply
Eat a healthy lunch and help animals keep their health! During the specified hours, mention spcaLA Fund-Raiser and Veggie Grill will donate 33 percent of the check to the organization.
ACS Manager Guest Speaker at West Gateway Community Association (WECA)
Monday, September 12, 6:00PM, 11th Floor Sky Room at Plymouth West Apartments, 240 Chestnut Avenue, Long Beach
Free
The public is invited to the WECA community meeting featuring guest speaker Ted Stevens, Manager of Long Beach Animal Care Services during their September monthly meeting. Stevens will explain the innovations he and his staff have implemented to improve the lives of animals, including the smartphone App to help increase pet adoptions and the recently launched Twitter feed #LBLostFoundPets to help reunite lost pets with their owners.
“We are immensely excited to partner with Long Beach Animal Care Services to achieve their goal to save more animals at the shelter that is supported by Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, First District Councilwoman Lena Gonzalez and the Long Beach City Council,” said Beth Cino, WECA President. “West Gateway Association looks forward to educating our constituents about ACS’s use of social media to improve the lives of our pets and residents. Animal Care Services’ record year in 2015 with saving animals indicates their strategy has been effective.”
For more information please contact Beth Cino (WGCA) at 562 360 9736 or email elizacino@yahoo.com.
Fix Long Beach’s Inaugural Half-St. Patrick’s Day Fund-Raiser
Saturday, September 17, 5:00PM–9:00PM, Timeless Pints Brewing Company, 3671 Industry Avenue, Lakewood
$25 a ticket
Hey, it’s always St. Patrick’s Day somewhere! OK, maybe that doesn’t apply here, but six months away from the day is as good an excuse as any to raise funds for spay/neuter, and who needs their arm twisted to have beer and dinner? That’s what the ticket price will get you—vegetarian options are offered, of course—and between that and the proceeds from the silent auction, with some great prizes, will help to provide free spay/neuter procedures, free microchips, and low-cost shots and flea meds to the pets of Long Beach residents who can’t otherwise afford them. Visit this link to buy tickets and for further information! To see what Fix Long Beach is all about, visit their Facebook page!
Second Annual ‘Home at Last’ Adoption Event
Saturday, September 17, 11:00AM–3:00PM, Centinela Feed and Pet Supplies, 4700 PCH (in shopping mall with Staples and Circle Car Wash, , Long Beach
Adoption fees apply
Here it is: another one-stop adoption event where you can not only find your new BFF forever but also pick up quality food, collars and other accessories for him or her! See flyer for de-tails. The event is made possible by a partnership between AdoptaPet.com and the Coldwell Banker Homes for Dogs Project.
spcaLA Dancing with Dogs Recital and Classes
Recital Saturday, September 17, 7:00PM; Freestyle Classes Sunday, September 18, 10:30AM–4:00PM, PD Pitchford Companion Animal Village & Education Center, 7700 East Spring Street (at entrance to El Dorado Park Nature Center), Long Beach
$10 suggested donation at door, which benefits spcaLA
No date for next Saturday? Stay home and dance with Rover, or bring the dog to a dog-friendly patio and trip the light fantastic, probably over his tail. See pets strut their stuff at the recital; learn the moves yourself the next day! Light refreshments will be served. The classes are for participants and their own dogs; audience members are asked to leave their own pets at home.
spcaLA September Foster Class
Sunday, September 18, 10:00AM–noon, P. D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village, spcaLA section, 7700 Spring Street (through entrance to El Dorado Park), Long Beach
Free event; no parking fee for Village visitors
Want to help pets? Become a foster parent by submitting an application and attending a foster class. spcaLA provides all the supplies; foster parents provide the home and the TLC. Applications are available here.
Surf City Surf Dog 2015. Photo by Dominique Labrecque.
8th Annual Unleashed by Petco Surf City Surf Dog Competition
Friday–Sunday, September 23–25, 8:00AM–3:00PM for Sunday’s main competition; Huntington Dog Beach and other locations; 100 Goldenwest Street, Huntington Beach
$64 registration fee, $10 of which will go directly to the charity of each participant’s choice.
Wurf’s up! Four-footed Gidgets and grommets from California, Florida, Brazil, Australia and where everybody has an ocean will compete for the trophy in the second event of the Double Dog Dare Surf Dog two-part series, whose participants will be scored by World Surf League Judges. The competition will cap the three-day event that includes a photo exhibit at the Rainwater Gallery and Events Center, stand-up paddle-boarding with your doggie dude, and a vendor-filled Sur-Fur Expo. For more information, visit the event page.
20th Annual Wag ‘n’ Walk Benefiting the Seal Beach Animal Care Center (SBACC)
Saturday, September 24, 9:00AM–2:00PM, Eisenhower Park at Seal Beach Pier, Main Street and Ocean Boulevard, Seal Beach
Adoption fees apply
Registration (with T-shirt) $30 adults, $20 children
Join us for our annual Wag ‘n Walk! Bring your two and four legged friends to stroll through Seal Beach and enjoy our animal expo, with fun for the entire family! Join Grand Marshall Justin Rudd and his bulldog POTUS in supporting the animals in residence at the Seal Beach Animal Care Center! Registration information here. All registration fees help the animals at SBACC!
Dog Adoption Event
Saturday, October 1, 11:00AM–3:00PM, Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach
Adoption fees apply
Find your new best friend 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 while you’re there!
16th Annual Interfaith Blessing of the Animals
Sunday, October 15, 5:40PM, Granada Avenue Boat Launch, 1 Granada Avenue (next to Rosie’s Dog Beach), Long Beach
Free event
Animals may be blessed already, but it sure doesn’t hurt to send good thoughts toward their treatment. Justin Rudd’s nonprofit Community Action Team (CAT) and Haute Dogs invite the public to bring their pets to this free event at sunset (if your pet hates to travel or has passed to the Rainbow Bridge, bring a photo). Farm animals, including ponies, alpaca, llamas, goats, sheep, bunnies, ducks and horses will be there, too. Free parking. See more here.
Haute Dogs Howl’oween Parade and Costume Contest; Pet Adoption Fair
Sunday, October 30, 12:30PM–4:30PM, Marina Vista Park, 5355 E. Eliot Street (at the end of Marine Stadium, across from the fire station and by the tennis courts),Long Beach
Free to spectators; $5 for chair rental; $10 to reserve a seat. All proceeds go to Haute Dogs.
This is the biggest event of its kind anywhere and easily the most fun. Over 500 dogs are expected to be there in costume, with many of their humans dressed to match. Lots of contests, prizes and great times! The costume contests and parade starts at 2:25PM; register online or at the park. Please click this link for details and registration.
Ongoing
Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS): Free Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinics, once monthly; Low-Cost Vaccination Clinics, scheduled days Monthly. Locations vary.
See flyer on web page for pricing of services
Beginning this Sunday, February 21, the Society for California Veterinary and Vaccine Care (SCVVC) will offer free spay/neuter procedures and wellness services to residents of the cities served by ACS: Long Beach, Signal Hill, Cerritos, Los Alamitos and Seal Beach. During the remaining weeks of the month, Spay/Neuter Project Los Angeles (SNP/LA) will offer low-cost vaccines, nail trimmings and topical flea treatment for residents of the same areas. Click link for locations and times and click the links next to each event for vaccine pricing and other details.
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. Microchips, flea treatment and nail trimmings also available.
Seal Beach Animal Care Center’s Calendar Contest
To September 17, enter here.
Votes $1 each, five-vote maximum
The proliferation of pet calendars eclipse Christie Brinkley—well, maybe not, but they’re proving popular and give people the chance to see their pet immortalized for at least a year. Even better, they help fund nonprofits like the volunteer-run Seal Beach Animal Care Center. To enter, follow the instructions on the poster.
Registration for Team spcaLA for the LA Marathon
Saturday, March 18, 5k; Sunday, March 19, Marathon; Dodger’s Stadium, 1000 Elysian Park Avenue, Los Angeles
5k, $40; Marathon, $175
Join Team spcaLA for the LA Marathon or LA Big 5K and help stop animal cruelty with each step.Visit link for details.
BARK Therapy Dogs Library Appearances
Various area libraries (Long Beach events generally held on Saturdays)
Free event
Dogs love unconditionally. They don’t judge or criticize. And they love a good story. Bring your children to the library to read to these lovely therapy dogs, and watch their confidence in their reading ability grow.
BARK (Beach Animals Reading with Kids) is an all-volunteer group dedicated to increasing children’s reading skills as well as interacting with pets. Check the calendar page on the group’s website, and find out more about this terrific organization.
Free Pet Food Distributions
Food for Pets in Need provides pet food to senior, homeless, low-income and homebound residents in Long Beach who otherwise may not be able to afford adequate food to take proper care of their pets.
The Pet Food Bank is sponsored by Christian Outreach in Action. See flyer for details.