Please send any Long Beach or Seal Beach pet-related events or projects to [email protected]. Posting subject to approval.
Virtually Pets
Ices and Thor
And the obvious follow-up comment is “…and two sled dogs to pull the sleigh!” That might work in the Yukon Territory, but the dogs in question are here. Animal lovers who are also advocates can bowl you over! Imagine finding two huskies roaming the street, taking them in, and mobilizing the local community to help with spay/neuter, medical/dental issues and adoption.
Ices (the odd-eyed husky) and Thor have come a long way in just a couple of weeks. When they were found, Thor was thought to be way older than he is—he looked weathered and he had smears of blood on his face. Turns out that they’re both 2 or 3 years old. They’ve been to the vet, and Thor has had shots for a skin condition. He also has some dental issues. There’s a GoFundMe page to help pay medical expenses.
Of course, they’ll be fixed. Huskies are starting to show up in shelters—they’re high-energy dogs and have their own needs. These two seem to have been used for breeding; with a fix for both of them, at least two faucets will be turned off.
They’ll be ready for adoption in a couple of weeks and will need to go as a pair because they’re bonded. Potential adoptive parents or approved breed-specific and -nonspecific rescues may apply to [email protected].
The face that launched an entire neighborhood
Mark Your Calendars (the People Way)
Operation Santa Paws
Until December 19
Operation Santa Paws seeks donated pet toys for shelters and rescues to improve the health and demeanor of those pets while reducing their stress. This increases the cats and dogs’ chances of being adopted! The simplest toys can make the animals much more comfortable! Cats enjoy rolling toys such as small plastic balls or other batting toys that can be hung from cage doors, while dogs tend to prefer items like the heavy-duty Kong rubber chew toy. And there are lots of other items that shelters and rescues can use! See locations of drop boxes, wish lists and delivery instructions here. And if you’re so moved, you can start your own drop location!
Low-Cost Pet Vaccination Clinics
First and Third Sunday of each month, 4:00PM–6:00PM, Scherer Park, 4600 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach
See flyer for pricing of each services
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: Long Beach, Signal Hill, Cerritos, Los Alamitos and Seal Beach. Microchips, flea treatment and nail trimmings also available.
Intergalactic Open House
Saturday, December 5, 11:00AM–2:00PM, P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village, 7700 East Spring Street at the entrance to the El Dorado Park Nature Center, Long Beach
Free
spcaLA and Long Beach Animal Care Services invite you to visit the Village to meet dogs and cats that are out of this world! The event features-photo ops with costumed Star Wars characters from the 501st and Rebel Legion (Darth Vadar, Princess Leia, Jedis, and more!) a pop-up roller rink; a Kids Blast Zone featuring a bounce house, an obstacle course, a craft table and face painting; food trucks; and lots of family fun. May the barks be with you! The Wookie cats, too!
Author Appearance: Terry Steuben, Animal Communicator
Saturday, December 5, 3:00PM–4:30PM, Gatsby Books, 5535 East Spring Street, Long Beach
Books will be on sale
Readers who missed Terry Steuben’s appearances a couple of months ago will have the opportunity to meet her at Gatsby and purchase her two books, Secrets of a Pet Whisperer: Stop Telling Your Animals to Misbehave and her latest, Tails of Triumph: Animals Tell Their Katrina Stories. Tales of Triumph is an account of Steuben’s experience as an emergency respondent during Hurricane Katrina and how she used her gifts, described in her first book, to heroically rescue cats and dogs that had been left to their own resources. There are some amazing stories there. Steuben will also take questions from and give advice to pet owners. Well-behaved leashed dogs are more than welcome. Find more details here.
Fix Long Beach (FLB) Spay/Neuter Clinic
Dogs only, Saturday, December 12, 7:30AM–4:00PM, Houghton Park, 6500 Atlantic Avenue (near Jordan High School), Long Beach
Free to qualifying residents
The grassroots free spay/neuter organization Fix Long Beach invites you to make an appointment for your unfixed dog or get a voucher for your cat! And we have lots of spaces for male dogs! Come and get ‘em!
Guidelines are as follows:
- Low-income Long Beach residents only unless you have a pit bull! (We offer free spay/neuter for pitties in surrounding cities.) If you don’t qualify (annual salary $30,000 or lower), please Google “low cost spay/neuter” along with your zip code, and have your pet fixed at one of the suggested clinics.
- Book an appointment ASAP. Standbys are welcome. Vouchers will be given to any attendee whose pet cannot be served that day.
- If you have called or made a previous appointment, please check your voice mail for messages (be sure that it’s set up). You must call back to confirm your appointment or your spot will be given away.
- If you are 15 minutes late for your appointment, your spot will be given to someone waiting on standby. If you fail to show up for two consecutive appointments, you will be denied future service.
Fix Long Beach also offers the following services from 9AM–4PM:
- low-cost vaccines for dogs and cats $10 per shot, cash only!
- low-cost flea meds for dog and cats $10 per dose/application, cash only!
- nail trim $5, cash only!
- free microchips for pets of Long Beach residents
- free supplies for anyone that gets their pets fixed!
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (323) 413-7729
When you come, bring proof of income and Long Beach residency (these events are for Long Beach residents only.) Whether you come as standby or with an appointment, do not give your pet anything to eat or drink after 12:01AM. Dogs must be on leashes and cats must be in carriers that are specifically pet carriers! No paper bags or suitcases, please! There are no walls in the park, and we want you to ensure your pet’s safety! If you don’t own a carrier, pet supply stores like Petco and PetSmart carry inexpensive cardboard ones; they run on the average of $8.
Fix Long Beach also has a wish list for pet items to give to our client as a thank-you for helping to lower our shelter euthanasia rate and prevent the birth of more unwanted kittens and puppies.
Click the 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!
Friends of Long Beach Animals Presents ‘A Christmas Carol’ Fund-Raiser
Sunday, December 13, 6:30PM, Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 East Anaheim Street, Long Beach
$25 per ticket
Here they come again—the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future! This time, though, it’s the pets who will say “God bless us, one and all!” This performance of A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens’ beloved Yuletide ghost tale, will benefit Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA), Long Beach’s most venerable animal welfare nonprofit! Enjoy hearty hors d’oeuvres along with the piano music of Ralph Brunson during the pre-show as well as a silent auction and a stockingful of drawings! The show begins at 7:30PM. See flyer for ticket locations or click the organization’s link for information.
Ongoing
Fix Long Beach Cat Clinic Fund-Raiser
Donate here
We love cats and wish for them a quality of life, not a quantity of numbers. Please help Fix Long Beach raise $2,000 more to put on another cat clinic and fix 60 more cats. The photo shown is not a rare sight for animal rescuers! The suffering and the misery that stray cats endure is heartbreaking and could be prevented if everyone would spay or neuter their cats. Please make a donation and help us raise the funds needed. You donate and support, and we do the work!
Monthly Mutt Mingles
Pussy & Pooch Pethouse and PawBar, 4818 E. 2nd Street, Long Beach, third Wednesday of every month
222 E. Broadway, third Thursday of every month, 6:00PM–8:00PM
Join P&P for their monthly mixer, and enjoy special treats, toasts, and plenty of in-store tail-wagging. Mutt Mingles are a great way for your dog to learn valuable social skills. It’s a chance for them to experience and interact in a social setting with food, drink and plenty of other distractions! It’s important for your dog to learn how to behave around other dogs and people so that they’ll be the stars of the dog park and the dog beach. The indoor facility provides for a very comfortable setting and fun atmosphere. Dogs may be off-leash if supervised closely by their owners. For their protection, we lock the front door so dogs are safe from the street traffic.