{"id":2062,"date":"2016-02-11T23:10:53","date_gmt":"2016-02-11T23:10:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/pets\/pet-projects-speed-dating-at-shelter\/"},"modified":"2016-02-11T23:10:53","modified_gmt":"2016-02-11T23:10:53","slug":"pet-projects-speed-dating-at-shelter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/pets\/pet-projects-speed-dating-at-shelter","title":{"rendered":"Speed Dating at the Shelter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Please send any Long Beach or Seal Beach pet-related events or projects to\u00a0pets@lbpost.com<\/a>. Posting subject to approval.<\/p>\n

Virtually Pets<\/h1>\n

\"acs-valentine\"<\/p>\n

Photo by ACS<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Pets don\u2019t appreciate Valentine\u2019s Day cards unless they\u2019re rabbits, who\u2019d see them as heart-shaped gnawable candy. What\u2019s unarguable is the benefits they\u2019ll get from the cards when a child puts down heartfelt words on paper for the pets and a ton of them are hung all over the shelter where everyone else can read them. What happens then is cooing and baby-talking and other kinds of attention that the little guys will get and lap up like juice out of a potted-meat can. And then\u2014in the best possible outcome, some of them will find their forever Valentines and go home.<\/p>\n

On February 13, you\u2019re encouraged to be inspired at the Valentine\u2019s Day Yappy Hour, sponsored by Haute Dogs (see Mark Your Calendars). Here are a couple of hopeful speed-daters looking for the real thing, all waiting at Long Beach Animal Care Services, 7700 East Spring Street (no parking fee for shelter visitors), Long Beach.<\/p>\n

\"Leia-and-Darlend\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Leia<\/strong>, a beautiful brindle American Staffie mix, was living in a dumpster when she was found by a good Samaritan. She was incredibly thin and the shelter staff and volunteers think she\u2019s seen some tough times, but you wouldn’t know it! She loves to be petted and gives sweet and gentle kisses. She\u2019s three years old and has a lot of life and love left. Here she is having a girls\u2019 day out with volunteer Darlene. Ask for ID#A561811.<\/p>\n

\"Mr.<\/p>\n

Mr. Big<\/strong>, a three-year-old Chihuahua, acts a little timid at first but warms up quickly. He loves to play in the yard, running up to you and spinning around. He\u2019s also a fun guy who gets along with his kennel mates. Ask for ID#A564806.<\/p>\n

\"Brie<\/p>\n

Bunny hugs, anyone? Brie<\/strong> is a shorthair rabbit with pink eyes and soft, white fur. Her age is unknown, but she is a cuddler. Brie is waiting in the Bunny Barn to see if you carrot all for her or her barn mates. Ask for ID# A564849.<\/p>\n

No cats this time, because so many have been sent to fosters and rescues. Follow the link<\/a>\u00a0and click on the tab to see more\u2014there\u2019s about 200 of them.<\/p>\n

\"Valentine\"<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Swiped from\u00a0ACS’s Facebook page<\/a><\/em>
<\/a><\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n

Mark Your Calendars (the People Way)<\/h1>\n

\"Valentines<\/p>\n

Valentine\u2019s Card Contest for Shelter Animals and Yappy Hour<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saturday, February 13 (for Yappy Hour), Long Beach Animal Care Services on shelter side of P. D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village, 7700 East Spring Street (no parking fee for shelter visitors), Long Beach, noon<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s still time to enter the Valentine’s Card Contest for Shelter Pets, and you can attend the Yappy Hour on Saturday. Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS), HAUTE DOGS, Justin Rudd and Westerly School are sponsoring the sixth annual handmade Valentine’s card contest for Long Beach-area students in grades kindergarten through 12 to create lovable Valentine’s cards for the dogs, cats, rabbits and other pets housed at ACS\u2019s shelter. Hundreds of cards were submitted last year.<\/p>\n

All cards will be on view for Yappy Hour. The goal is to have at least one card per animal that will be attached to each pet’s kennel through the Valentine’s Day week. The contest winner will be awarded a pizza party for his or her class, up to 30 people. Cards from adults are greatly encouraged but will not be judged for the award. Classrooms, scout groups, church youth groups, and other organizations are encouraged to participate.<\/p>\n

Cards should be received at Long Beach Animal Care Services, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach, CA 90808, on or before noon on Sat., Feb. 13, 2016. Students should place their name, grade level, teacher’s name and school name on the very back of the card. Cards will not be returned. Click the link<\/a>\u00a0and scroll down for more information.<\/p>\n

\"Bulldog\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

12th Annual 2016 National Bulldog Beauty Contest
<\/strong>Sunday, February 14, Marine Stadium Park, 5225 Paoli Way, Long Beach, 9AM\u20133PM
<\/strong>Admission is free; $5 to reserve a seat to watch the procession<\/strong><\/p>\n

What better day than Valentine\u2019s Day to have a beauty competition for faces that only a mother could love? And mothers are out in full force at this event\u2014hundreds came last year and even more are expected! The competition began as a bulldog contest, but it\u2019s become far more inclusive: there are categories for the cutest dog, best smile, best disabled dog, and best butt! An adoption fair will take place in the same location, with plenty more candidates for true love. Contest rules, regulations, categories and other details\u00a0are available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Team spcaLA for the LA Big 5K Run\/Walk and Charity Relay
<\/strong>Saturday, February 13 (and Sunday, February 14, Dodger Stadium, 1000 Elysian Park Avenue, Los Angeles, 8AM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Run or walk to prevent animal cruelty<\/a>\u00a0with\u00a0Team spcaLA<\/a>! Whether you’re inspired to run to protect scruffy puppies, tiny kittens, great big pit bulls, fluffy bunnies or majestic peacocks, you’ll be allowing spcaLA to prevent cruelty to\u00a0all<\/i>\u00a0animals!\u00a0Click here\u00a0<\/a>for details and registration. Registration closes at 11:59PM on February 5.<\/p>\n

\"Fix<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fix Long Beach (FLB)\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/a>Spay\/Neuter Clinic
<\/strong>Saturday, February 27, 7:30AM\u20134:00PM, Houghton Park, 6500 Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach
<\/strong>Free to qualifying residents<\/strong><\/p>\n

The grassroots free spay\/neuter organization<\/strong> Fix Long Beach invites you to make an appointment for your unfixed dog or cat, or get vouchers for free procedures for them! As you can see by the smiling face on this veritable Viking and the numbers from our last clinic, we\u2019re making a big dent in shelter overpopulation and a huge positive impact on the health and welfare of dogs and cats.<\/p>\n

Guidelines for FLB clinics are as follows:<\/p>\n