The lbpost.com and other media offered thorough coverage of the competitors and champions who took part in last weekend’s Special Olympics at Cal State University, Long Beach. Participants, their families and guests took breaks to enjoy the exhibits, entertainment and games at the Olympic Village fun fair, set up in the park. Among the carnival games and booths featuring healthy living and information were four-legged friends who came to give love, as they always do.
The Newfie Club’s “petting zoo” comprised Newfoundland dogs sitting with their owners in the shade of a tent canopy – instead of subjecting sheep, goats and chickens to heat and handling. The Newfies – many of whom are rescues and therapy trained – rolled, grinned and slobbered as Olympic stars shared the spotlight with the huge, gentle souls.
“The breed’s pretty much that way,” said Claudia Walters, club member and human companion to Grace. “They’re a good fit for therapy dogs.”
Paws 4 Healing, an affiliate group of the Delta Society Pet Partners [deltasociety.org], was there with the therapy dogs, rabbits and a horse. Of course, the horse, whose name is Dante, is a miniature horse (not a pony—Dante is full grown and 4 years old) about the size of one of the Newfoundlands. Size may be relative, but it was all love, hugs and kisses for every one of them, including the horse.
“It was really interesting,” said Ann Masterson, Dante’s human companion. “There are so many different types of disability, but the same thing applies. Most [participants] wanted to hug and kiss, and wanted to have their pictures taken. Some needed help to pet gently, but all were thrilled.”
Speaking of photos, Kate’s photo card turned out to have been full before she took any pictures, and Marcy Ellenbogen, the human companion of literary rabbit Oreyo, sent the great shots in this post. Oreyo is the subject of Oreyo’s Magic Adventures Book and has his own Web site [oreyo.com]. All proceeds from the book go to charity.
To add a biscuit to the bowl, one of the carnival game booths featured the familiar ball-toss into a bowl to win a goldfish or at least make him/her very nervous. Our backs went up, and we stalked over to the booth to find the bowls empty of both fish and water. No fish were offered as prizes—only tickets to be traded for trinkets.
“It’s probably for humane reasons,” said Sal Cornejo, whose last name is one letter away from meaning “rabbit” in Spanish. Cornejo is a technician for Toyota, one of the Special Olympics sponsors. We guess we know what our next hybrid’s going to be.
“They (dogs) can be a bridge between humans….The children are relating to the dogs in a way they can’t relate to people.”
Jeanne Katkavich, on the Delta Society Web site
Random Clawings
June 20—Mark and Brian at Pitchford Companion Animal Village
KLOS’s terrific team Mark and Brian will broadcast live from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. for Pet Adoption Day at the spcaLA’s PD Pitchford Companion Animal Village here in Long Beach. The event features a silent auction, tips from a trainer and advice from a vet, and irresistible animal companions waiting to go home with you! Visit this website for details.
June 28—Sunday Night Live Comedy Benefit
More horselaughs await at the Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 East Anaheim St., Long Beach as local comedienne Lynda Montgomery hosts a hilarious evening. All proceeds benefit Friends of Long Beach Animals and Animal Match Rescue Team. A very happy hour at 7 p.m.; show starts at 8 p.m. Ages 21 and over only. Visit this website or go to the following locations for tickets:
Go Dog Go, 3440 N. Los Coyotes Diagonal, Long Beach (562) 421-9797
Belmont Pets and LaunderPet, 3429 E. Broadway, Long Beach (562) 433-3605
Bixby Knolls LaunderPet, 4105 Orange Ave., #113, Long Beach (562)427-2551
Seal Beach LaunderPet, 318 Main St., Seal Beach (562)430-7196
CosmoPAWlitan Boutique, 4107 N. Viking Way, Long Beach (562)354-6040
Dish It Up for the Birds
Dawn Dish Liquid is launching a campaign this summer called “Everyday Wildlife Champions.” For every bottle of specially marked Dawn you buy, a visit to Dawn’s website will donate $.50 toward the programs at International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) in San Pedro, with a maximum donation of $250,000.
Are We All Just Howling at the Moon?
We attended the Bixby Coyote Sightings Workshop on June 10. What it boils down to is that coyotes are becoming used to humans and are desperate to survive and feed their young. Human beings have depleted the coyotes’ food sources and have also cleared away and built on their natural habitat. Then we unconsciously add to the crime by teasing the coyotes with a lesser food source of pet cats and dogs left outside and pet bowls filled to the brim with food and water. Birdbaths and feeders can also add to the problem. Please folks, when walking your dogs, use a leash (and by the way, there is a leash law in Long Beach), preferably in tandem with a harness.
Coyotes may not be relocated to another area because of possible spread of disease and socialization factors, and the only time that a coyote may be killed is if the animal makes physical contact with a human being. Furthermore, trapping and euthanizing them will only exacerbate the problem, according to the official at the workshop; the coyotes will overbreed to replace the loss. This is a dilemma for animal lovers who want to be able to walk their dogs safely but don’t want to hurt a wild animal, and it’s also a worry for people who fear that the coyotes may become emboldened and hurt a child.
It is understandable for people to be scared, even angry about the situation. This is where education comes in big time, to stem the flow of fear and anger and to learn to coexist with nature as it is now. It will help make life safer for all.
With the laws as they are now, the only advice we can repeat and repeat and repeat until we’re blue in the faces is this: keep your pets indoors, keep your garbage cans covered, and don’t leave pet food out. If you have fruit trees, pick up fallen fruit. If you want to be active and proactive, start a Wildlife Watch (visit here to find out how, and to learn how ACS is joining with the Bixby area in watching for coyotes). The Pet Post is happy to assist your community with living with urban coyotes by posting comments and updates you supply us with. We encourage you to begin a Neighborhood Wildlife Watch program and wish you much success!
Check KPCC’s website for more on urban coyotes.
All photos by Marcy Ellenbogen