Please send any Long Beach or Seal Beach pet-related events or projects to [email protected]. Posting subject to approval.
Virtually Pets
“Charity and love are the same. With charity, you give love, so don’t just give money but reach out your hand instead,” reads one of Mother Teresa’s many inspirational quotes. When it comes to any sort of charitable giving, reach out your hand has a literal interpretation. For animal lovers, it’s doubly literal.
Community organizer Justin Rudd’s myriad projects, realized through his Community Action Team and Haute Dogs nonprofits, give Long Beach residents opportunities to be illustrations of that particular quote. They include giving projects, Easter baskets to homeless children, pet adoptions and, during the winter holiday season, Operation Santa Paws.
Since 2001, Operation Santa Paws has operated a collection drive for treats, supplies, toys and funds to help pets in shelters and rescues as well as those who have been abused and abandoned—which comprises a good number of pets in shelters and rescues. You may have seen the boxes in pet-centered locations and veterinary hospitals like Cats and Dogs, Bark! Bark! Downtown and Pussy and Pooch and in general locations like Tom’s Tires in Signal Hill, Lazy Acres and Primal Alchemy Catering, and someone in your circle may have done their own collection. People “stuff the stockings,” and volunteers collect them the day before the shelter visitation.
Back in Ozark, Alabama, where Rudd grew up, the local fire department sponsored a program called Operation Santa Claus that donated refurbished toys and bikes to needy kids. Fifteen years ago, Rudd tweaked the project’s name, changing Claus to Paws in the spirit of calling attention to unwanted and abandoned pets and ultimately find them homes.
“There were already lots of programs in Long Beach that serve kids,” Rudd said. “My idea was to help shelter animals that go unnoticed this time of year, in respect to giving. It’s nice to give them a toy or a treat for a few minutes, but the goal is to get them a home for a lifetime.”
The day after the supplies are collected—this year, it’s December 17—volunteers visit four shelters to literally reach out to the animals there. Treats are handed out to cats, dogs and bunnies, and shelter staff accepts the supplies. Gifts are also delivered to the rescues. And of course, any of the pets may receive the ultimate gift—adoption to a forever home.
Rudd (in Santa hat) and volunteers gather with goodies, which represent only a fraction of what’s collected for pets at shelters and rescues. Photo courtesy of Justin Rudd.
During Operation Santa Paws, Rudd photographs and posts some of the pets and encourages volunteers to champion a dog, cat, rabbit or anything else in the shelter and post it on their pages. He said that a good number of the volunteers have never been to a shelter, and they get to see the diversity of all the animals.
“Every year, at least one of our volunteers ends up adopting an animal they’ve visited during the Operation,” Rudd said. “They’ll visit an animal, they’ll go home, and they can’t get the animal out of their mind. They’ll ask the other people in their family, and then they come down and ask about adopting that animal.”
If you’re interested in participating in the caravan, meet tomorrow, December 17, at 11:45AM in front of Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS). You can bring any of the items on the list at this link. Because of safety and housekeeping concerns, please don’t bring stuffed toys, tennis balls, rawhide items or pig ears.
Because NORAD doesn’t track them, we’ve provided you with the following listing of Santa Paws’ sleigh’s stops:
11:45AM: Long Beach Animal Care Services
7700 East Spring Street at the entrance to El Dorado Park, Long Beach
12:15PM: Long Beach spcaLA
7700 East Spring Street, Long Beach, 562.570.SPCA
1:30PM: Seal Beach Animal Care Center
1700 Adolfo Lopez Drive, Seal Beach
3:00PM: Orange County Animal Care Services
561 The City Drive, Orange
Operation Santa Paws also accepts monetary donations. To donate, and for all information about Santa Paws, follow this link.
And remember—if your loved one, buddy or other close person needs a new friend, gift this coupon with a promise to go to a shelter or a rescue with him or her and let them find each other. Pets aren’t presents—you’re a gift to them, and vice versa.
Graphic by Michelle Manion
Here are several hopefuls from ACS, dressed in their winter finery. They’re ready to go to their forever homes! See the graphics for their names and ID numbers.
Little Gypsy is a senior Chi who is in need of a loving home. She has a very mellow personality and is the perfect lap dog! Her greatest wish is a really good butt scratch and to feel safe at her forever human’s side
Amor is a good name for this loving, playful 4-year-old pit bull! She displays the usual pittie goofiness and would love to go rocking around your Christmas tree. Then, she’d like to lie down on a rug in front of a fireplace!
Kismet would love to get out of these antlers and rock her little black dress on New Year’s Eve and every day thereafter. Kismet is a year old and very tolerant, as you can see!
The following links to shelters and rescues are excellent places to start your search. If you have any change jingling in your pockets, they gladly accept donations. Please email [email protected] or post in the comments section any other legitimate rescues that may have been left out:
Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS)
Live Love Pet Care and Animal Rescue
West Coast Animal Rescue (WeCare)
Jellicle Cats Rescue Foundation
Long Beach Spay & Neuter Foundation
Fix Long Beach isn’t a rescue organization, but the hundreds of cats and dogs spayed and neutered there have brought down shelter euthanasia numbers and help lower the number of unwanted animals. They take donations, too! Proud disclaimer: I’m an equally proud volunteer.
Mark Your Calendars (the People Way)
Fix Long Beach Free Spay/Neuter Clinic
Saturday, December 17, 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!
Pet Photos with Santa
Sunday, December 18, 2:00PM–5:00PM, Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach
Suggested donation: $20.00, all proceeds will benefit Fix Long Beach
Santa seems to get around, and we suspect that all the fur on his red suit is pet hair. Visit this community-oriented pet-supply shop for a photo, and after the picture is taken, you may want to do Santa’s shopping for him!
Pet Adoption Event at PFE
Saturday, January 7, 11:00AM–3:00PM, Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach
Adoption fees apply
Find your new best friend 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.
Ongoing
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.
Live Love Pet Care: Pay What You Wish for the Holidays
(213) 282-PAWS, through December 31
Cost: Entirely up to you, for the first visit
The holidays are here, and care for your pets is one thing you can check off your wish list! Now through New Year’s Eve, book your first in-home pet care service (dog walking, pet sitting or Overnight) with Live Love Pet Care, and after the visit, pay what you wish!
West Coast Animal Rescue (WeCARE) Online Fund-Raiser
Ongoing, Through Lynch Creek Farm
Prices vary; donations also welcome
Support West Coast Animal Rescue by purchasing holiday products from this family-owned farm. The beautiful products are fresh, no trees are killed to make the wreaths, shipping is free, and you can pick your shipping date. So why support big box stores? Support a small rescue which does great things. Information available here.
Pilates X Donation Drive for spcaLA
Through January 1, 2017, Pilates X Studio, 5555 East Stearns Street, #108, Long Beach
In-Kind Donation
In an effort to help homeless animals, Pilates X is requesting dry and wet pet food for kittens, cats, puppies and dogs; non-clumping cat litter; durable toys; treats; and new or gently used towels and blankets. All donations will help the animals housed at spcaLA.
Registration for Team spcaLA for the LA Marathon
Saturday, March 18, 5k; Sunday, March 19, Marathon; Dodger’s Stadium, 1000 Elysian Park Avenue, Los Angeles
5k, $40; Marathon, $175
Join Team spcaLA for the LA Marathon or LA Big 5K and help stop animal cruelty with each step.Visit link for details.
BARK Therapy Dogs Library Appearances
Various area libraries (Long Beach events generally held on Saturdays)
Free event
Dogs love unconditionally. They don’t judge or criticize. And they love a good story. Bring your children to the library to read to these lovely therapy dogs, and watch their confidence in their reading ability grow.
BARK (Beach Animals Reading with Kids) is an all-volunteer group dedicated to increasing children’s reading skills as well as interacting with pets. Check the calendar page on the group’s website, and find out more about this terrific organization.
Free Pet Food Distributions
Food for Pets in Need provides pet food to senior, homeless, low-income and homebound residents in Long Beach who otherwise may not be able to afford adequate food to take proper care of their pets.
The Pet Food Bank is sponsored by Christian Outreach in Action. See flyer for details.