Please send any Long Beach or Seal Beach pet-related events or projects to [email protected]. Posting subject to approval.
Virtually Pets
Long Beach Animal Care Services is contending with the upcoming deluge on July 4 of terrified pets filling their kennels because the booms and whistles and flashes spooked them. The fortunate ones make it in there alive. Speaking of deluges, kitten season is in full swing, which isn’t as cute as it sounds. Thousands of kittens are born between late winter and mid-autumn, and shelters, including ours, are flooded with them. Again, the lucky ones are pulled by rescues and individuals who agree to bottle-feed them, and not all of them make it, either. The kittens who don’t are subject to euthanasia for lack of space (if you haven’t yet, fix your kitty, please).
Earlier this week, The Scratching Post featured Long Beach Animal Care Services’ (ACS) Foster the Fourth program. Briefly, what you do is to offer space in your home for a four- (or possibly three-) legged canine houseguest who’ll be displaced from a kennel to make room for the ones coming in. (Cats get frightened, too, and again, there’s limited space in the Cat Cottages, so maybe you could claw the shelter’s carpeting and yowl loudly until they offer you a cat.)
Graphic by ACS.
The shelter will be making every effort to reunite pets and families. This takes a couple of weeks, after which time, you return the pet to the shelter.
Or maybe you won’t.
Yesterday, The Scratching Post featured videos of cats at the Pet Food Express (PFE). All the cats at PFE come from the shelter, so that’s one way to make room. In the spirit of equality, here are some good doggies that could use a break for now, or of a lifetime.
https://www.facebook.com/LongBeachAnimalCare/videos/1932750320078941/
John Thomas (ID#A609840—anglophiles, put a sock in it) is a 2-year-old Malti mix who’d love to mix it up with you! Check out the video–he loves to play with his puppy pals!
https://www.facebook.com/LongBeachAnimalCare/videos/1929860013701305/
This guy ain’t nuthin’ but a—you know. Krypto (ID#A566539) is about 7 years old, and as you can see, he loves spending time with people. He’s a curious, easygoing soul who needs family time—forever!
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Chewy (left) and Jerky (right)? Really? Yes, it sounds like a display ad for pet treats, but they’re just a couple of cute little dogs who are related to each other in figurative speech only. And cuteness. And friendliness. And winsomeness. Jerky (ID#A609742) is an 8-year-old terrier mix, and Chewy (ID# A609801) is a Cavalier King Charles spaniel mix, about a year old—they’re both small and won’t take up too much space in your home. Can’t guarantee your heart, though!
Henry (ID# A608547) is a 7-year-old poodle mix. He loves his human friends at the shelter and would like to meet a few of yours as well. And you!
Meet these fine fellows at Long Beach Animal Care Services, 7700 East Spring Street at the entrance to El Dorado Park (no parking fee for shelter visitors).
And for the love of Dog, keep your pets safe, not just now, but always. Here’s how.
ACS will be distributing free pet tags until Sunday, July 1. And remember that fireworks frighten cats, too. Please keep yours indoors and safe. Graphics by ACS.
Things to Do, Pets to Support
Pick Your Price Pet Adoption
To Sunday, July 1, 10:00PM–5:30PM Friday, 10:00PM–4:00PM Saturday and Sunday), P. D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village, 7700 East Spring Street (at entrance to El Dorado Park; no fee for shelter visitors), Long Beach
Free event; donations gratefully accepted by the K9 Officers Association
In the spirit of Red, White & Woof + Meow, the City of Long Beach Animal Care Services and spcaLA are offering anyone ready to open their homes to a pet the freedom of choice—not only of an animal but also the adoption fee! With freedom comes responsibility, of course, so prospective adopters will need to qualify via application.
Fourth of July Celebration in Support of Long Beach K9 Officers Association
Wednesday, July 4, 4:00PM–7:00PM, 5931 East Fairbrook Street, Long Beach
Free event; donations gratefully accepted by the K9 Officers Association
Bring your lawn chair and enjoy a good, old-fashioned family Fourth of July celebration, with one exception: no fireworks! Between the presence of our two-legged and our four-legged officers, there won’t be any banging and booming to upset any animals or military veterans! Enjoy great food, music and company, and make a donation to these bravest and most loyal officers. Your own leashed, well-behaved dogs are welcome!
Third-Annual Cut-A-Thon, Benefiting Sparky and the Gang Rescue
Saturday, July 7, 10:00AM–5:00PM, Encore Hair Studio, 1830 Redondo Avenue, Suite E, Signal Hill
$25 haircuts
You get your dog groomed, so why not yourself? And for a great cause—top-rated Encore Hair Studio is offering cuts for $25, and the funds will go to Sparky and the Gang Animal Rescue, a magnificent organization that takes dogs from some of the worst conditions you can imagine and turns them into beautiful, healthy house pets. Enjoy pampering, vegan goodies, a bake sale and a raffle. And, best of all, doggies to adopt.
Friends of Long Beach Animals’ 26th Annual Theater Benefit, Featuring ‘My Fair Lady’
Thursday, July 12, 6:30PM, Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 Anaheim Street, Long Beach
Tickets $30, includes a wine reception with finger food and dessert, Ralph Brunson at the piano, a raffle and a silent auction.
The rain in Spain they’ll track in your domain…by George, you’ve got it—a wonderful time viewing the classical musical My Fair Lady, enjoying a buffet of goodies, bidding on auction items, listening to the piano music, and of course, we won’t forget helping all the pets that Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA) helps spay and neuter and provide for! Tickets are can be purchased at the locations on the flier, or you can call FOLBA directly at (562) 988-7647. And be sure to get you to the show…on…time!
Fix Long Beach Free Spay/Neuter Clinic
Saturday, July 14, 7:30AM–3:00PM, Ramona Park, 3301 East 65th Street at Obispo Avenue, Long Beach
Have your dog spayed or neutered free with appointment and qualifications; vet appointment with voucher, minimal charge for dogs and cats; flea meds $10; shots and dewormer $10 each; nail trimming, $10
It’s now the law to fix your pets in Long Beach and many Southern California cities. To provide this costly service to our Long Beach residents who otherwise couldn’t afford it, Fix Long Beach offers this service free of charge. The spay/neuter truck will be at its new location at Ramona Park on this date.
Make an appointment through IM or email at [email protected] for your dog, and include (1) your name, (2) address, (3) phone number, (4) pet’s name, (5) age, (6) sex, (7) breed, and (8) weight, and Fix will see if they can schedule you. You can also come as a standby, but be there at 8:30AM. Make sure that your pet has had nothing to eat or drink past 10:00PM the previous night.
To donate, visit our page. In-kind donations such as leashes, collars and toys can be brought to our event or ordered through our Amazon wish list.
For both spay/neuter and vaccinations, all dogs must be on sturdy leashes and all cats must be in dedicated carriers. Fix thanks you in advance for being responsible for your pet’s health and for helping to reduce shelter overpopulation and euthanasia.
Saving Kittens’ Lives Workshop and Fund-Raiser, with Kitten Lady Hannah Shaw
Saturday, September 15, 2:00PM–4:00PM, El Dorado Park West Community Center, 2800 North Studebaker Road, Long Beach
$39.95; a portion of ticket sales will benefit The Little Lion Foundation
If you’re expecting an eccentric cat person raving about kitties, yes. But you have no idea where her whimsies will take you or how much you’ll learn about cat care! Hannah Shaw can captivate an audience the way that little birdie does to the cat on the other side of the window—she’ll teach you how to care for underage, orphaned kittens so that more lives will be saved. Best of all, your ticket purchase will help The Little Lion Foundation do just that as well! Purchase tickets here.
Ongoing
Pet Adoption Locations
Photo courtesy of West Coast Animal Rescue https://www.facebook.com/WestCoastAnimalRescue/
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].
Petco Animal Supplies, Marina Shores
6500 Pacific Coast Highway
Helen Sanders CatPAWS, permanent adoption center, store hours
Rabbit Rescue Inc., adoptable rabbits daily, store hours
Live Love Animal Rescue, first Sunday of the month, 1:00PM–3:00PM
Unleashed by Petco
600 Redondo Avenue
Foreverhome Pet Rescue, Inc., Sundays, noon–4:00PM
PetSmart, Long Beach Exchange
3871 N Lakewood Boulevard, Long Beach
The Cat Cove, Saturdays, noon–4:00pm
Jellicle Cats Foundation, Saturdays, noon—4:00PM
PetSmart Signal Hill
2550 Cherry Avenue, Signal Hill
Kitty Katchers, Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00AM–3:30PM
Stray Cat Alliance, permanent adoption center, store hours
PetSmart Compton
1775 South Alameda Street, Compton
Zazzy Cats Kitty Rescue, permanent adoption center, store hours
Rabbit Rescue Inc., one adoptable rabbit daily, store hours
PetSmart Seal Beach
12341 Seal Beach Boulevard, Seal Beach
West Coast Animal Rescue, Saturdays, noon–4:00PM
Dogs in Need, Saturdays, 9:00AM–2:00PM
Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach
Pet Food Express Cat Adoption Center, permanent adoption center, business hours
Zazzy Cats, alternate weekends, 10AM–5PM
Fix Long Beach, occasional weekends
Live Love Animal Rescue, first Saturday of each month, 11:00AM–2:00PM
Ozzie and Friends Rescue, 11:00AM–2:00PM, alternate Sundays
The Little Lion Foundation, alternate weekends, 11:00AM–5:00PM
Bank of America, 5101 East Second Street, Long Beach
Long Beach Spay & Neuter Foundation, 11:00AM–3PM
Register for Best Friends’ “Strut Your Mutt” Walk Event
Imagine this: You’re surrounded by animal lovers just like you. Everywhere you look, there are dogs of all shapes and sizes, all happy with tails wagging. Excitement is in the air.
You don’t have to imagine it. That’s what Best Friends’ Strut Your Mutt is all about! This year’s LA Strut takes place October 20 (time to be announced) at Exposition Park. This fur-filled festival not only rallies friends, family and neighbors to help save the lives of homeless pets in your community but it also supports the lifesaving work of Best Friends Animal Society. You can find everything you need to know right here!
BARK Therapy Dogs Reading with Kids
See website for information
Founded in 2007, BARK (Beach Animals Reading with Kids) is a nonprofit all-volunteer program that encourages children to increase their reading skills and self-confidence by reading aloud to certified therapy dogs. Students sometimes find it intimidating to read in front of classmates but love to read to the non-judgmental, calming dogs. BARK now has 170 teams listening to kids in more than 100 schools and libraries in California—Long Beach libraries visited monthly are Bach, El Dorado, Bayshore, Brewitt and Los Altos; outlying-area libraries include Hawaiian Gardens, Iacoboni and Los Alamitos. BARK teams also visit nursing homes, senior living facilities and veteran centers. They even de-stress college students during finals week! For all events, check out BARK’s calendar. To find information about volunteering your furry buddy or to arrange a visit to your school, library or other community, contact the group at [email protected] or (562)235-8835.
SNP/LA Mobile Low-Cost Pet Vaccines
Locations and dates vary; visit link in text
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. Low/cost spay/neuter information is also available through SNP/LA.
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.
Shelter-Enrichment Supplies Needed for ACS Dogs and Cats!
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
- pipe cleaners
- toilet paper/paper towel rolls
- cat toys
- corks from bottles (for cat toys)
- catnip
- canned cat and dog food
Donations are tax deductible. Our pups and kitties say thanks so much!