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Virtually Pets
Last week’s Pet Post featured dogs in drag from our shelter, Long Beach Animal Care Services. Since then—woo woo!–Popeye in his pirate suit and Hoshi the prisoner of love both went to loving homes! Whether it was the costumes, their intrinsic wonderfulness or a combination, they were irresistible to their new pet parents.
So this week, it’ll be cats in costume! On November 5, these haunting beauties will most likely be at Pet Food Express for the pet adoption event (see Mark Your Calendars)—most likely only because they’re there now and may have gone to a forever home by then. But there will definitely be more! Costumes not included, by the way.
At Pet Food Express
Gretchen the tortie has her arms out as if to say “Please get this thing off me and take me home to carpets to roll on, toys to play with and a bed to sleep in! Preferably yours!” Gretchen at 7 years old is already spayed and past the whoopee kitten stage—she’s so ready to cuddle up to you. Her autumn colors are lovely all year round! Ask for ID#A579275.
Jetty is as sweet as she can bee! She’s a honey of a kitty, with her medium black-and-white fur and her rubby chin. She’s around 4 years old and has already been spayed.
At ACS
What’s great about Scooter is that he doesn’t feel the need to play to type. It’s Halloween, he’s a black cat, but so what? He’d rather go as a taco! Good for him—he knows that black cats aren’t seasonal! Scooter is a little over a year old, and he’s plenty playful. Ask for IDA57724 at the shelter.
Mark Your Calendars (the People Way)
Haute Dogs Howl’oween Parade and Costume Contest; Pet Adoption Fair
Sunday, October 30, 12:30PM–4:30PM, Marina Vista Park, 5355 E. Eliot Street (at the end of Marine Stadium, across from the fire station and by the tennis courts),Long Beach
Free to spectators; $5 for chair rental; $10 to reserve a seat. All proceeds go to Haute Dogs.
This is the biggest event of its kind anywhere and easily the most fun. Over 500 dogs are expected to be there in costume, with many of their humans dressed to match. Lots of contests, prizes and great times! The costume contests and parade starts at 2:25PM; register online or at the park. Please click this link for details and registration.
Helen Sanders CatPAWS Philanthropizza Fund-Raiser
Wednesday, November 2, 11:00AM–9:30PM, California Pizza Kitchen, 12171 Seal Beach Boulevard, Seal Beach
Menu prices
Have a slice, or a salad, or an entrée, for kitties’ sake! Print out the above flyer, follow the directions, and know that 20 percent of your meal will help the cats that Helen Sanders Cat Protection and Welfare Society pulls from the shelter and the streets to get adopted to great homes! (Order big.)
Walk for the War Dogs with FOLBA at the Veterans Day Parade
Saturday, November 5, 9:30AM (parade steps off at 10:00AM), Atlantic Avenue and Harding Street, Long Beach
Free event
Just as civilians show their support for and honor veterans every year (that’s correct, it’s never enough), animal advocates and their dogs attend parades like ours in Long Beach to remember the dogs and other animals that died in service to our country. Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA) will be bringing their dogs to march in the Veterans Day parade and invites anyone either with or without a furry buddy to march along with them. Come early in order to find a parking space, be sure that you have water on hand for you and your dog, and mind the advisory—if you feel that your dog may be nervous around parade noise and horses, it’s best that he or she stays home. See above graphics for information.
Dog Adoption Event
Saturday, November 5, 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 while you’re there!
Animals for Armed Forces Special Adoption Event
Friday–Sunday, November 11–13, 10:00AM–5:00PM Friday and 10:00AM–4:00 PM Saturday and Sunday, spcaLA P. D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village and Education Center, 7700 E. Spring Street, at the entrance to El Dorado Park,Long Beach
No parking fees for shelter visitors
What better way to show unconditional love to one of our brave service people and veterans than through a pet? spcaLA and Animals for Armed Forces Foundation will thank our dedicated servicemen and servicewomen by providing them access to a pet with no adoption fee. The adoption discount applies to active duty, reserve and veterans of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and National Guard as well as immediate family members. Documentation must be provided. This benefit will also be provided at spcaLA’s Hawthorne and Pico Rivera locations. Click on the above link for locations and hours.
Fix Long Beach Free Spay/Neuter Clinic
Saturday, November 12, 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!
Feliz Navi-Dog Fund-Raiser for 4Life Rescue
Sunday, November 13, 2:00PM–5:00PM, Medusa Salon, 23311 Brookhurst Street, Huntington Beach
$35 for wash, dry and style; $20 for photos with Santa
It’s not quite Halloween, so of course, we have to get ready for Christmas and all those winter bacchanalian festivities. An appointment at Medusa (do you love the name?) will get you all styled up, and the money will go to 4Life Animal Rescue. While you get groomed, your dog can get his or her photo taken with Santa by George T., who photographs and writes about ACS’s pets. There will be a silent auction, and Massimo’s pizza will donate their sales to the event.
Pie-centage Nights’ Animal Resource Team (ART) Fund-Raiser
Thursday, November 17, 5:00PM–10:00PM, Pieology, 5027 Lakewood Boulevard,Lakewood
Menu prices
Take a nice, gooey bite out of the number of pets relinquished to the shelter! Pieology will donate 20 percent of its take to ART, a volunteer organization whose mission is “to help people in the greater Long Beach area keep the pets they love by connecting pet owners with the resources and services they need.”
Dogs of Downtown
Saturday, November 19, 11:00AM–3:00PM, Downtown Promenade between First and Third streets,Long Beach
Free event
The Dogs is coming! The Dogs is coming! Last year’s event brought hundreds of dogs to the Promenade to enjoy the dog-friendly businesses, watch agility events, drink a tail-chasing brew specifically crafted by Beechwood BBQ and Brewing for this event, and, best of all, adoptable pets from rescues and shelters! This year, it’s all returning—including Hop Kong Phooey, the aforementioned IPA—with all the photo booths, live music, vendor tables with free samples, performances and adoption rescues. All proceeds from the sale of the Hop Kong Phooey will benefit Guide Dogs of the Blind. No dog? Come anyway—maybe, just maybe, you’ll adopt a new best friend!
spcaLA November 2016 Foster Class
Saturday, November 19, 10AM–noon, spcaLA P. D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village and Education Center, 7700 E. Spring Street, at the entrance to El Dorado Park,Long Beach
Free to participants. No parking fee for shelter visitors.
Want to help pets become socialized for adoption? Become a foster parent by submitting an application and attending one of our classes. You provide the home and TLC; we provide the training and supplies. We can’t do it without you! Applications are available here. Call us at (323) 730-5300, ext. 300 for more information.
Ongoing
Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS): Free Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinics, once monthly; Low-Cost Vaccination Clinics, scheduled days monthly. Locations vary.
See flyer on web page for pricing of services
Beginning this Sunday, February 21, the Society for California Veterinary and Vaccine Care (SCVVC) will offer free spay/neuter procedures and wellness services to residents of the cities served by ACS: Long Beach, Signal Hill, Cerritos, Los Alamitos and Seal Beach. During the remaining weeks of the month, Spay/Neuter Project Los Angeles (SNP/LA) will offer low-cost vaccines, nail trimmings and topical flea treatment for residents of the same areas. Click link for locations and times and click the links next to each event for vaccine pricing and other details.
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. Microchips, flea treatment and nail trimmings also available.
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.