Please send any Long Beach or Seal Beach pet-related events or projects to [email protected]. Posting subject to approval.
Virtually Pets
Animal lovers are no strangers to the plight of animals in open-admission shelters (i.e., shelters that use euthanasia when there’s no room left for pets). It’s heartbreaking, and it’s a huge source of stress and anxiety for the shelter employees and volunteers. And it’s not fair to the pets, who have done nothing to deserve it, but shelters keep filling up with pets that are testaments to the irresponsibility and thoughtlessness of their human protectors.
As long as people don’t spay and neuter their pets for whatever reason, cats and dogs will continue to fill the shelter. Unless they’re pulled by rescues (many of which are full to bursting), the only path they have to deliverance is adoption.
Shelter euthanasia rates in Long Beach have been declining thanks to efforts from groups like Fix Long Beach, education from Friends of Long Beach Animals, outright activism from Long Beach Animal Advocates, and loving care and a huge drive on their parts by shelter staff members and volunteers to make the shelter pets adoptable and reach out to the community to take them home.
So, I’m bombarding this and future columns with shelter animals. Remember—these are only samples of the good stuff inside Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS). Thank you, ACS, staff and numerous volunteers for showing as much love as you can to so many.
These pets are available along with too many others at Long Beach Animal Care Services, 7700 East Spring Street, Long Beach, at the entrance to El Dorado Park. No parking fee for shelter visitors.
Kiki is a 7-year-old owner surrender. The owners were moving and had to return her (they got her from LBACS in 2013—please make sure that if you adopt a pet, you vow upon your life to make arrangements for him or her in any eventuality. This isn’t fair.). Kiki’s’s been spayed and is super-friendly and affectionate. She’s lived with other cats and is a total lap cat. Because she’s 7 years old and is considered a senior (7 years old is just young-middle age when it comes to cats), her adoption fee is only $20, and if you bring her paperwork to Thai Silk Restaurant 1506 E Broadway, Long Beach, you get $25 toward meals! Ask for ID#A520827.
Dora is a-dora-ble. She’s a friendly, social Beagle, about 11 years old. Dora would love to come home with you and be an explorer of your backyard and on walks through the neighborhood! She, too, will take you to dinner at Thai Silk. Ask for ID#A597101
Katara is only a little over a year old. As you can see, she’s lovely. Katara is another owner surrender who’d love to be safe at last in a forever home. Ask for ID##A594292.
Mark Your Calendars—the Human Way
Countin’ the Days in Humane Ways
It seems as if every year, numerous pet calendars crop up faster than you can say “penthouse.” They aren’t the ones you can buy online or at bookstores—full-color glossies of strangers with fur, feathers or scales adorning each month. The pets in this calendar live in actual homes—maybe yours—and are selected through donations to pet rescues. I figured that a separate section is in order until the entry deadline. Pick your pet picture and enter!
Friends of El Dorado Dog Park Holiday Bone-anza and Calendar Contest
Sunday, November 19, 10AM–4:00PM (Calendar Contest Entry Deadline September 30), El Dorado Dog Park, 7550 East Spring Street, Long Beach
Calendar Contest free to enter: Bone-anza free to attend
Friends of El Dorado Dog Park is announcing its third-annual Pet Photo Calendar Contest and fund-raiser. The top winner will be on the cover page, and the next 12 winners will each have their own calendar month. The Calendar Contest winners will be announced at 11:00AM at the Holiday Bone-Anza. The 2018 calendar will be available to purchase for $20 at the event. Even if your entry isn’t selected as a winner, every dog entered will be spotlighted in the calendar. Application is available here.
Places to Go, Pets to Support
21st Annual Wag ’n Walk Fund-Raiser for the Seal Beach Animal Care Center
Saturday, September 30, 9:00AM–2:00PM, Seal Beach Pier, 9-00 Ocean Avenue, Seal Beach
Free to attend; registration closed
Come to the pier this Saturday with or without a dog! See a red-carpet presentation of the adoptable dogs available at the Care Center and a dog-training demonstration by phDogs. There will be a dog costume contest, silent auctions and raffles, face painting and henna tattoos. And there’s a chance to win a $1,000 Visa card! The winner does not have to be present to win—in fact, you can buy tickets in advance at SBACC, 1700 Adolfo Lopez Drive or from an SBACC volunteer!
Celebration of Life, in Honor of Gayle Carter
Sunday, October 1, noon–3:00PM, Uptown Dog Park, 4600 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach
Free; dogs and kids welcome
Please join the Friends of Uptown Dog Park for a gathering to honor the life of Gayle Carter (see “Always Everyone Before Her Self” to read about Gayle’s remarkable life). It’s a potluck, so please bring a dish to share (if you can’t bring food, come anyway). Drinks will be provided. Gayle did so much for the dog community in Long Beach and personally touched many of our lives. Her impact on our community was great. Please come, doggies in tow, and honor her memory at this gathering as we eat together and share stories and happy memories. We will gather at the park bench right outside the small-dog side.
Pet Adoption Event at PFE
Saturday, October 7, 11:00AM–3:00PM, Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach
Adoption fees apply
Find your new BFF 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, featuring fine felines from Long Beach Animal Care Services and Stray Cat Alliance.
Fix Long Beach Free Spay/Neuter Clinic
Saturday, October 14, 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!
Subaru Loves Pets Fee-Waived Adoption Event
Saturday, October 14, 11:00AM–3:00PM, Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS), 7700 East Spring Street, Long Beach
Adoption fees waived.
Thanks to a generous grant from ASPCA, ACS is partnering with Timmons Subaru of Long Beach to bring you the Subaru Loves Pets fee-waived adoption event. Take the opportunity to save a life!
16th Annual Interfaith Blessing of the Animals
Sunday, October 15, 5:45PM, Granada Avenue Boat Launch at Rosie’s Dog Beach, 1 Granada Avenue, Long Beach
Free event
Dogs, cats, bunnies, hissing cockroaches, serpents of all sizes, chickens, horsies, ducks, parrots, komodo dragons—all are welcome to be blessed by clergy of various faiths. Of course, they come blessed already, but this beautiful event reminds us of this every year. More than 300 animals from homes and farms—and of course, the ones already in the ocean—will be in attendance. The procession of the farm animals and clergy down the 100-foot red carpet starts at 5:45PM, and the approximately. 30-minute ceremony takes place as the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean—quite a picturesque site at this time of year. The event is sponsored by Justin Rudd’s nonprofit Community Action Team (CAT) and Haute Dogs. All well-behaved pets are welcome; if your pet chooses not to come or has passed on, please bring a photo. Note: The city government requires all pets to have proof of rabies vaccination; please bring the paperwork.
There will be a moment of blessing, silence and vigil at the beginning of the service for pets who are unfortunately involved with sport dog fighting and other inhumane, unethical treatment.
Dr. Greg Perrault, owner of Cats & Dogs Animal Hospital, will be the official on-site vet during this blessing of the animals. Free parking after 6 p.m. in the beachfront lot in the metered spaces. Non-metered spaces charge $1/hour. Street parking is free. More information available here.
CatPAWS Restaurant Fund-Raiser
Monday, October 16, 11:00AM–10:00PM, Domenico’s Italian Restaurant, 5339 East Second Street, Long Beach
Menu prices apply
Funiculi, funicula! Joy is everywhere, because you get to eat Italian food in one of Long Beach’s most venerable restaurants and the owners will give 25 percent of the tab to Helen Sanders CatPAWS will be hosting a fundraiser at Domenico’s Italian Restaurant in Long Beach! Help this great group raise money for cats in need while enjoying your favorite pizza, pasta, and salad, either dine-in or takeout! Please bring above flier!
K9’s Uncorked Benefit for the Pups
Saturday, October 21, 5:00PM–8:00PM, Harvey Girls Gallery, 130 ½ Main Street, Seal Beach
Ticket prices $35 online, $40 at door
Who doesn’t love wine and food? Better yet, who doesn’t love animals? Join the K9 Kismet rescue for the fund-raising party of the year in the eclectic little beach community of Seal Beach! In addition to wine and food (human and dog) tastings, we will have live jazz music, adoptable dogs, a silent auction, a raffle, boutique shopping and a glass-etching class (bring your own wineglass)! Costume up yourself and your dog, and come on and paw-ty! Sponsorship donation and tickets can be purchased here or at two Seal Beach locations: Harvey Girls Gallery 130 1/2 Main St. or Ever After Skin Care, 550 Pacific Coast Highway, #211 (upstairs). You do not want to miss this one!
Friends of El Dorado Park’s Holiday Bone-anza
Sunday, November 19, 10:00AM–4:00PM, Good Neighbor Park, 2800 Studebaker Road, Long Beach
Free to attend
This year’s Bone-anza will be a fun-filled event featuring food trucks, vendors for your holiday shopping, contests, a DJ featuring Christmas sounds, elves, your doggie’s photo with Santa, and a silent auction and a raffle featuring great gifts from our sponsors. All proceeds from both the calendar (see Countin the Days in Humane Ways) and the event will go to support enhancements of the El Dorado Dog Park.
Ongoing
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.
Feline Good Social Club Indiegogo Fundraiser
Click here to donate
Help us get a cat cafe in Long Beach! This troop of dedicated rescuers are requesting funds to open a place where cat lovers can commune with felines strolling the premises, sip a beverage, munch a pastry, maybe read the book or newspaper, and pretend that they’re in a cottage in Maine waiting for Jessica Fletcher to ring the bell. This will be a great addition and will also help to get the kitties adopted–who can resist a bond forged over coffee?
Shelter-Enrichment Supplies Needed for ACS Dogs!
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
Donations are tax deductible. Our pups say thanks so much!
Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) Information for Low-Cost Vaccinations and Spay/Neuter Clinics
7700 East Spring Street at entrance to El Dorado Park (no fee for shelter visitors), Long Beach
Prices vary
Vouchers that take a big bite, so to speak, out of the cost of spay/neuter procedures are available at ACS during their public hours. Visit this link for information on clinics that accept the vouchers and for other spay/neuter assistance.
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.