Please send any Long Beach or Seal Beach pet-related events or projects to [email protected]. Posting subject to approval.
Virtually Pets
Graphic courtesy of ACS.
Fact: It’s the time of year known as kitten season, which lasts longer than the NFL season. During this time, thousands of kittens are born to unspayed mothers, and most of them wind up in shelters where, if they’re not pulled by a rescue, will be subject to euthanasia.
Fact: It’s also silly season, which has an estimated duration of three weeks before and a couple of weeks after Independence Day. Silly season has nothing to do with patriotism; it’s the time when a bunch of geniuses throw explosive devices everywhere, “safe and sane” or not. No matter—they’re illegal in the town. It’s also the period in which pets get spooked by the flashes and sound bursts and take off for parts unknown. The lucky ones that aren’t crushed by cars end up in shelters.
Fact: Our shelter at Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) is now packed to near capacity.
As always, we need adoptions, but more now than at any time. Last year at this time, the shelter teamed up with Live Love Animal Rescue for a foster program that has been successfully utilized in other shelters, including Los Angeles and Van Nuys. ACS calls it Foster the Fourth. In the program, community members like you and me offer to take in a shelter pet—just dogs, although if it were me and I had room, I’d whine and moan until I got one—for a couple of weeks while the shelter tries very hard to find the owners of the ones who’ve come in.
You can get a free pet ID tag if you come in to the shelter before July 1. Graphic courtesy of ACS.
Last year, ACS took in over 1,000 dogs alone, and despite a recent big haul of illegal explosives in East Long Beach, there’s no guarantee that it’ll be any different. Click the link for Foster the Fourth: Team Effort for a Safe Holiday to see how it worked then, and ACS’s Facebook page to read the basics for this year. Next week, there will be a more comprehensive description of the program.
Meanwhile, if you can foster or adopt a dog or give a forever home to a cat, please do. Here are a couple of candidates:
https://www.facebook.com/LongBeachAnimalCare/videos/1916716555015651/
Emerson (ID#A607649) has cute he hasn’t used yet. He was brought in with a gimpy leg, but nonetheless he has a happy attitude that some of us don’t have in the best of circumstances. The shelter vet said that she’d reset his leg if someone would step up to foster him for a while or, better yet, adopt him. Wouldn’t you love an outcome like that! He’s only 5 years old and has plenty of life ahead of him.
https://www.facebook.com/LongBeachAnimalCare/videos/1918323278188312/
Double feature here—Wookie (ID##A609150) and Christopher (ID#A606893). Even if he weren’t identified by name in the video, it’d be obvious which cat is Wookie. He’s 6 years old, weighs a whopping 20 pounds, and would be a perfect companion on a chilly evening or a substitute for a pillow (I know for a fact). Wookie’s a mellow fellow—all he needs is a loving home and a healthy diet.
Christopher, on the other hand, is barely out of babyhood. He’s about 6 months old and is a friendly, playful puss. He’s a soft shade of white, but you’ll notice the distinct, adorable gray headpiece on his little corona. He does have a propensity for hijinks, but he also has a chronic case of the snuffles, which the shelter vet says is nothing serious and doesn’t slow him up at all. In fact, time out of the shelter may improve him, she said.
And for the love of Dog, keep your pets safe, not just now, but always. Here’s how.
Things to Do, Pets to Support
Cat Adoption at Retro Row’s Fourth Fridays
Friday, June 22, 6:00PM–9:00PM, next to Art Theatre, 2025 East 4th Street, Long Beach
Adoption fees apply
Want to take home a classic pet? Zoey’s Place Cat Rescue will part in the Long Beach Retro Row Last Fridays. Meet your friends for a fun time strolling down 4th Street in the Art Theater district and stop to enjoy artists, music and fine food. Finish your evening by stopping by our booth and saying hello to some of Zoey’s adoptable fluffies. There are many, many kitties looking for families of their own, and what better time than summertime to make an addition to yours!
Fix Long Beach’s Wild, Wild West Casino Night
Saturday, June 23, 6:00PM, Cosmic Brewery, 20316 Gramercy Place, Torrance
Tickets $25, available here; includes all-you-can eat buffet, drinks and “funny money”
Git along, little doggie–uh, dogie, and we’ll lasso up some great food, drinks, sounds and lots of yee-haw fun! Your $25 will grab you a taco dinner (we have vegan options for cowpokes who don’t like to poke cows), mighty fine craft beers and handcrafted soda pop. Don’t tell the sheriff, but we’re giving you $100 in “funny money” that you can use in the ol’ saloon playing roulette, poker and blackjack. And y’all can absquatulate with some durn fine prizes from gaming and in the silent auction (you gotta spend actual tin for that). Best of all, you’ll be helping us round up pets to spay and neuter—Fix Long Beach does that for free for folks who can’t afford it–all the greenbacks you spend will be used at Fix Long Beach!
Long Beach Animal Advocates’ (#LBAA) No-Kill Vigil
Thursday, June 28, 6:00PM–8:00PM, Promenade Square, 215 East First Street, Long Beach
Free event
A major part of LBAA’s mission is to educate the citizens of Long Beach about what is happening at our local shelter. By educating the masses, we can engage them in our advocacy and empower them to speak up for a better life for local shelter pets. Please join us as we march down the Promenade spreading awareness of the ongoing and needless loss of lives at Long Beach Animal Care Services. Please wear white! We will provide the signs. Bring a friend and be ready to speak up as a voice for the voiceless shelter pets!
Fourth of July Celebration in Support of Long Beach K9 Officers Association
Wednesday, July 4, 4:00PM–7:00PM, 5931 East Fairbrook Street, Long Beach
Free event; donations gratefully accepted by the K9 Officers Association
Bring your lawn chair and enjoy a good, old-fashioned family Fourth of July celebration, with one exception: no fireworks! Between the presence of our two-legged and our four-legged officers, there won’t be any banging and booming to upset any animals or military veterans! Enjoy great food, music and company, and make a donation to these bravest and most loyal officers. Your own leashed, well-behaved dogs are welcome!
Third-Annual Cut-A-Thon, Benefiting Sparky and the Gang Rescue
Saturday, July 7, 10:00AM–5:00PM, Encore Hair Studio, 1830 Redondo Avenue, Suite E, Signal Hill
$25 haircuts
You get your dog groomed, so why not yourself? And for a great cause—top-rated Encore Hair Studio is offering cuts for $25, and the funds will go to Sparky and the Gang Animal Rescue, a magnificent organization that takes dogs from some of the worst conditions you can imagine and turns them into beautiful, healthy house pets. Enjoy pampering, vegan goodies, a bake sale and a raffle. And, best of all, doggies to adopt.
Friends of Long Beach Animals’ 26th Annual Theater Benefit, Featuring ‘My Fair Lady’
Thursday, July 12, 6:30PM, Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 Anaheim Street, Long Beach
Tickets $30, includes a wine reception with finger food and dessert, Ralph Brunson at the piano, a raffle and a silent auction.
The rain in Spain they’ll track in your domain…by George, you’ve got it—a wonderful time viewing the classical musical My Fair Lady, enjoying a buffet of goodies, bidding on auction items, listening to the piano music, and of course, we won’t forget helping all the pets that Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA) helps spay and neuter and provide for! Tickets are can be purchased at the locations on the flier, or you can call FOLBA directly at (562) 988-7647. And be sure to get you to the show…on…time!
Fix Long Beach Free Spay/Neuter Clinic
Saturday, July 14, 7:30AM–3:00PM, Ramona Park, 3301 East 65th Street at Obispo Avenue, Long Beach
Have your dog spayed or neutered free with appointment and qualifications; vet appointment with voucher, minimal charge for dogs and cats; flea meds $10; shots and dewormer $10 each; nail trimming, $10
It’s now the law to fix your pets in Long Beach and many Southern California cities. To provide this costly service to our Long Beach residents who otherwise couldn’t afford it, Fix Long Beach offers this service free of charge. The spay/neuter truck will be at its new location at Ramona Park on this date.
Make an appointment through IM or email at [email protected] for your dog, and include (1) your name, (2) address, (3) phone number, (4) pet’s name, (5) age, (6) sex, (7) breed, and (8) weight, and Fix will see if they can schedule you. You can also come as a standby, but be there at 8:30AM. Make sure that your pet has had nothing to eat or drink past 10:00PM the previous night.
To donate, visit our page. In-kind donations such as leashes, collars and toys can be brought to our event or ordered through our Amazon wish list.
For both spay/neuter and vaccinations, all dogs must be on sturdy leashes and all cats must be in dedicated carriers. Fix thanks you in advance for being responsible for your pet’s health and for helping to reduce shelter overpopulation and euthanasia.
Saving Kittens’ Lives Workshop and Fund-Raiser, with Kitten Lady Hannah Shaw
Saturday, September 15, 2:00PM–4:00PM, El Dorado Park West Community Center, 2800 North Studebaker Road, Long Beach
$39.95; a portion of ticket sales will benefit The Little Lion Foundation
If you’re expecting an eccentric cat person raving about kitties, yes. But you have no idea where her whimsies will take you or how much you’ll learn about cat care! Hannah Shaw can captivate an audience the way that little birdie does to the cat on the other side of the window—she’ll teach you how to care for underage, orphaned kittens so that more lives will be saved. Best of all, your ticket purchase will help The Little Lion Foundation do just that as well! Purchase tickets here.
Ongoing
Photo courtesy of West Coast Animal Rescue.
Pet Adoption Locations
The following pet-related businesses regularly feature cat, dog and rabbit adoptions. If you’re a Long Beach-area rescue and don’t see your adoption event listed here, please email [email protected].
Petco Animal Supplies, Marina Shores
6500 Pacific Coast Highway
Helen Sanders CatPAWS, permanent adoption center, store hours
Rabbit Rescue Inc., adoptable rabbits daily, store hours
Live Love Animal Rescue, first Sunday of the month, 1:00PM–3:00PM
Unleashed by Petco
600 Redondo Avenue
Foreverhome Pet Rescue, Inc., Sundays, noon–4:00PM
PetSmart, Long Beach Exchange
3871 N Lakewood Boulevard, Long Beach
The Cat Cove, Saturdays, noon–4:00pm
Jellicle Cats Foundation, Saturdays, noon—4:00PM
PetSmart Signal Hill
2550 Cherry Avenue, Signal Hill
Kitty Katchers, Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00AM–3:30PM
Stray Cat Alliance, permanent adoption center, store hours
PetSmart Compton
1775 South Alameda Street, Compton
Zazzy Cats Kitty Rescue, permanent adoption center, store hours
Rabbit Rescue Inc., one adoptable rabbit daily, store hours
PetSmart Seal Beach
12341 Seal Beach Boulevard, Seal Beach
West Coast Animal Rescue, Saturdays, noon–4:00PM
Dogs in Need, Saturdays, 9:00AM–2:00PM
Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach
Pet Food Express Cat Adoption Center, permanent adoption center, business hours
Zazzy Cats, alternate weekends, 10AM–5PM
Fix Long Beach, occasional weekends
Live Love Animal Rescue, first Saturday of each month, 11:00AM–2:00PM
Ozzie and Friends Rescue, 11:00AM–2:00PM, alternate Sundays
The Little Lion Foundation, alternate weekends, 11:00AM–5:00PM
Bank of America, 5101 East Second Street, Long Beach
Long Beach Spay & Neuter Foundation, 11:00AM–3PM
Register for Best Friends’ ‘Strut Your Mutt’ Walk Event
Imagine this: You’re surrounded by animal lovers just like you. Everywhere you look, there are dogs of all shapes and sizes, all happy with tails wagging. Excitement is in the air.
You don’t have to imagine it. That’s what Best Friends’ Strut Your Mutt is all about! This year’s LA Strut takes place October 20 (time to be announced) at Exposition Park. This fur-filled festival not only rallies friends, family and neighbors to help save the lives of homeless pets in your community but it also supports the lifesaving work of Best Friends Animal Society. You can find everything you need to know right here!
BARK Therapy Dogs Reading with Kids
See website for information
Founded in 2007, BARK (Beach Animals Reading with Kids) is a nonprofit all-volunteer program that encourages children to increase their reading skills and self-confidence by reading aloud to certified therapy dogs. Students sometimes find it intimidating to read in front of classmates but love to read to the non-judgmental, calming dogs. BARK now has 170 teams listening to kids in more than 100 schools and libraries in California—Long Beach libraries visited monthly are Bach, El Dorado, Bayshore, Brewitt and Los Altos; outlying-area libraries include Hawaiian Gardens, Iacoboni and Los Alamitos. BARK teams also visit nursing homes, senior living facilities and veteran centers. They even de-stress college students during finals week! For all events, check out BARK’s calendar. To find information about volunteering your furry buddy or to arrange a visit to your school, library or other community, contact the group at [email protected] or (562)235-8835.
SNP/LA Mobile Low-Cost Pet Vaccines
Locations and dates vary; visit link in text
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. Low/cost spay/neuter information is also available through SNP/LA.
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 and Cats!
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
- pipe cleaners
- toilet paper/paper towel rolls
- cat toys
- corks from bottles (for cat toys)
- catnip
- canned cat and dog food
Donations are tax deductible. Our pups and kitties say thanks so much!