cute little white fluffy dog in a white onesie, with a yellow tennis ball by her mouth, sitting on a fluffy rug.
File photo of Chloe, cleaned up and healthy after suffering abuse. Small, fluffy white terrier-poodle in onesie. Photo courtesy of Fix Long Beach

On Saturday, the public will finally be able to meet Chloe, the little white terrier who about four months ago became the poster puppy for animal abuse after she survived some real nastiness. Chloe was rescued by and received veterinary rehabilitation from Fix Long Beach, and her story, which the Long Beach Post broke in December, continues to spark demands for information about who would do and actually did such things to a helpless animal (we’d all like to know, but there are no reported leads).

People continue to post a comparable number of demands and pleas to adopt Chloe on both the Saving Chloe and Fix Long Beach Facebook pages, many begging to be first in line and just as many hoping for a happy home.

The viral spread of Chloe’s story sprung the little dog to local and global celebrity status—a sad springboard indeed, but it understandably brought out a desire of so many to take her home with them and keep her safe. Like every dog, though, Chloe puts on her harness one leg at a time. Her story is more horrifying than nearly anything made public about a tormented or abandoned animal, but every pet you find in shelters, in rescues, and outside at the mercy of nature or thoughtless, cruel people has a story.

Chloe’s meet-and-greet will give you an opportunity to give her a hug and get a kiss back (one poster said that Chloe’d better get a good night’s sleep on Friday in anticipation of an adoring fan base), but you’ll also be able to adopt a pet that no one else wanted but deserves as happy an ending to their story as Chloe’s bound to have. Here are a few of them who’ll be wagging their tails at the event.

small brown terrier in kennel nursing five puppies of tan, brown and black, lying on gray blanket.
Bonita is a cute little Yorkie mix. She and her five puppies, now 9 weeks old, were part of a hoarding case and were pulled from Long Beach Animal Care Services on medical waiver until their case was resolved. They officially became Fix Long Beach dogs a month ago. Photo courtesy of Fix LongBeach.
small black miniature pinscher curled on floor with his head cocked at camera. Lying on brown rug.
Rudy is a sweet, energetic little min pin who’s just as content to hang out in your lap. He was rescued when someone discovered him being sold on Craigslist. He’s great with other dogs; he’s fixed and microchipped and is up-to-date on vaccinations. Photo courtesy of Fix Long Beach.
little light-tan-and-white dog with purple harness with pink border sits on red rug.
Cleo was found as a stray. She’s sweet and very playful and is great with other dogs, cats and kids 1 to 2 years old. She’s fixed and microchipped and is up-to-date on vaccinations. Photo courtesy of Fix Long Beach.
front view of white poodle seen from above camera, on wood floor with metal grate on top.
We love seniors. Senior pets often have special needs, and they need special care and special people who’ll give it. Beatrice is a sweet 10-to-12 year-old poodle mix who was found as stray. She has Cushing’s disease, an endocrine disorder that requires lifetime treatment. Because Beatrice’s disease was never treated, she also lost most of her hair and had severe dental disease. She’s now had a complete dental extraction (poor Grandma has no teeth left!) and also had some lumps removed. She needs daily medication for the Cushing’s disease and eats only a soft-food diet. She has never let any of that yucky medical stuff get her down, though—just give her a squeaky ball and you’ll soon be chuckling at her antics. Her fosters want her to live out her days knowing nothing but love and kindness. She’s good with other dogs, so she can be some young cuss’s granny! Photo courtesy of Fix Long Beach.

Things to do, pets to support

Please send any Long Beach or Seal Beach pet-related events or projects to [email protected]. Posting subject to approval.

cute little white fluffy dog in a white onesie, with a yellow tennis ball by her mouth, sitting on a fluffy rug.
Photo courtesy of Fix Long Beach

Meet-and-greet with Chloe: Saturday, March 30, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach. T-shirts on sale, adoptions vary for the pets.

Meet and marvel over the transformation of Chloe, the little dog who wouldn’t have made it except for the effort by a caring community. T-shirts to fund Chloe’s vet bills will be on sale for $30, wet tongues will shmear your cheeks at the kissing booth, and pets will be there waiting to be adopted—there’s only one Chloe, you know.

Kitten Shower: Saturday, March 30, 11 a.m–4 p.m., Seal Beach Animal Care Center, 1700 Adolfo Lopez Drive, Seal Beach, donations requested.

Kitten season should bring showers—baby showers. Seal Beach Animal Care Center is an all-volunteer animal shelter that promises to keep cats and dogs housed until they’re adopted. They rely on donations, grants, legacies and fund-raisers like this one to keep resident pets safe and healthy until they go home, hopefully forever. Check flyer for details.

Sparky and the Gang fundraiser, Thursday, April 4, 11 a.m–9 p.m., Avila’s El Ranchito Restaurant, 209 Main St., Seal Beach, menu prices apply.

FAR Side Journey animal rescue is hosting a fundraiser for Sparky and the Gang, another rescue, to show gratitude for the Sparky folks jumping in to help with the little rescue dog Charlie, shown in the photo. As help to defray Charlie’s medical expenses, Avila’s will donate 20 percent of the daily tab—and that includes carry-out. FAR Side will be there from 5  to 8 p.m. with raffle prizes, and Sparky and the Gang will be showcasing some adoptable dogs. Charlie will be guest of honor, and he’s looking for his forever home, too! Both organizations thank El Ranchito’s owners, Elyse and Zachary Avila Smith, have rescue kitties and have rehomed dogs from Korea and China as well as kitties. Come join us—the food is amazing!

Fix Long Beach Free Spay/Neuter Clinic: Saturday, April 13, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., Ramona Park, 3301 E. 65th St., Long Beach, free spay/neuter for qualifying Long Beach residents, with appointment; free microchips, shots, flea-med doses, dewormers and nail trimmings $10 each—no appointment necessary. Appointments available for future clinics—come make one.

Feline Good Social Club Grand Opening: Saturday, April 27, 10 a.m.., 301 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, adoption fees apply.

We don’t need coffee to keep us awake for this event! Finally, feline-ally, Long Beach is getting its own permanent cat café! Three entrepreneurial, passionate cat ladies have pounced on this opportunity to place rescue cats in a permanent and loving home. The Feline Good Social Club will have its grand opening in the heart of Downtown Long Beach and will offer a unique opportunity to socialize with adoptable cats in a playful environment supplemented with unlimited gourmet coffee and tea. The grand opening will feature a VIP Package with exclusives perks for those who would like additional time with the cats in a luxury setting, and merch bags filled with cat-themed gifts are sure to tickle your whiskers. All of the cats are rescued from the local rescue group Long Beach Felines.

Do Good with Burritos Fundraiser: Sunday, April 28, 4–8 p.m., Chipotle, Marina Pacifica Mall, 6376 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, menu prices apply.

Whoever would have thought that fundraising would be such a gas! Dine at Chipotle during this event, show the above flyer on your phone or printed out, and 33 percent of the proceeds will benefit Fix Long Beach to help spay and neuter as many cats and dogs as possible. Cool beans, right?

Helen Sanders CatPAWS Bowling Fundraiser: Saturday, May 11, 3–5 p.m., Westminster Lanes, 6471 Westminster Blvd., Westminster, $40 per ticket.

You know that if you draw whiskers on the head of a bowling pin and paste pointed ears on the crown that it’ll resemble a cat sitting up? That and the fact that it’s a good fund-raising idea for the cats and kittens under the care of Helen Sanders CatPAWS rescue. This annual event raises money for food, veterinary bills (they mount) and neonatal care, including the free DIY kits for bottle-feeders that CatPAWS makes available free of charge at the shelter. Details are on the flyer—so roll one down an alley for the alley cats!

Ongoing

Pick-a-Pittie adoption opportunity: shelter hours, through April 14, Long Beach Animal Care Services and spcaLA, 7700 E. Spring St. (at entrance to El Dorado Park), Long Beach, choose your own adoption fee.

Pit bulls are among the most common types of dogs found in shelters. They’re also largely misunderstood. Thankfully, they’re becoming popular as loyal companion pets. If you’d like to add one to your family, here’s your chance to not only pick a pittie but also pick the price you’ll pay for the adoption fee! The special is for qualified adopters only.

Adopt, adopt, adopt

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].

Chase Bank, 5200 East Second St., Long Beach

 Gelson’s Market, 6255 E. Second St.

Kahoots Pet Store, 18681 Main St. #102, Huntington Beach

Petco Animal Supplies, Marina Shores, 6500 Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach

Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach:

PetSmart Cerritos, 12741 Towne Center Dr, Cerritos

PetSmart Compton, 1775 South Alameda St., Compton

PetSmart Garden Grove, 9835 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove

PetSmart, Long Beach Exchange, 3871 N. Lakewood Blvd., Long Beach

PetSmart Signal Hill, 2550 Cherry Ave., Signal Hill

PetSmart Seal Beach, 12341 Seal Beach Blvd., Seal Beach.

Unleashed by Petco, 600 Redondo Ave.

tiny gray kitten sleeps in someone's hand

Long Beach Little Paws Project needs donations

The most vulnerable animals in the public shelter system are kittens under two pounds. These fragile babies, especially those not yet eating on their own, are typically euthanized on intake at most public shelters. In an effort to change the fate of far too many kittens, two non-profit rescue organizations, The Little Lion Foundation and Helen Sanders CatPAWS, have launched a joint effort to create and operate a kitten nursery. This nursery will give kittens too young to be adopted or those who need medical care a safe place to heal and grow. Newborn kittens are fragile and vulnerable. You can tell by those photos—if you look closely, you’ll see the beautiful cat that each of them will grow to be. Please read all about them here, and please, please donate.

Low-Cost Pet-Vaccination Clinics: For schedule, visit this link.

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.

Free Pet Food Distributions

Pet food is available at Beacon for Him Ministries, 439 W. Anaheim St., Mondays from 9 a.m. to noon and Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m. A dog-washing station with a stainless-steel tub is also available onsite at these hours. Donations and supplies such as shampoo, flea control meds and pet food are always gratefully accepted.

The Pet Food Bank is sponsored by Christian Outreach in Action, located at 515 E. Third St., Long Beach. Hours are Thursday from 9 to 11 a.m.

Pets of the Homeless provides many collection places across the country to help homeless people to feed and care for their animals. Please support them through a cash donation, or bring pet food to the Long Beach-area drop-off center, Trendi Pawz Grooming, 3726 E. Seventh St., Long Beach. Access this link for resources and donation areas in SoCal and across the country.

Shelter-enrichment supplies requested for ACS’s cats, dogs and rabbits: drop-off Wednesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., shelter side of P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach.

Canned kitten food, yogurt, beef and chicken broth, pipe cleaners, toilet-paper and paper-towel rolls, catnip, canned pet food, wine-bottle corks (for cat toys) and ice cube trays all are needed. Donations are tax deductible.