Saturday, Aug. 10, will bring Fix Long Beach to lovely Marine Stadium, where you can take in midsummer’s balmy breezes while you get your pet fixed or take advantage of $10 vaccinations (see Things to do, pets to support for all the info). Full disclosure—or maybe a brag—I’m a longtime volunteer with Fix because I strongly feel that an effective way to mitigate the flow of unwanted animals into shelters is to shut off the valves. These procedures are expensive, and with the help of community members, city officials and Justin Rudd, whose activism defies pigeonholing, cat-egorizing or dog-tagging. Justin, in fact, is sponsoring this month’s first clinic (we’re actually having three this month, which amounts to a lot of mitigation).

Fix Long Beach encounters a lot of neglected, unwanted animals in its midst, and so, because of an inability to just walk on by, has gotten into fostering. Meet some of Fix’s adoptables—to inquire about any of them, email [email protected] or fill out an application here.

orange-and-white Pomeranian mix, wiht one eye and a harness, looks at camera

Kershaw is a 2-to-3-year-old Chi mix. He was found on the street with his eye nearly hanging from the socket. We can only imagine what happened. He had a successful operation and is now the sweetest little guy who’d like nothing better than to be taken for a walk and then come home and lie in your lap. He’s fixed, microchipped and up-to-date on his shots.

little black dog stretched out on the green grass. wears a colorful collar.
Buddy is a 3-to-4-year-old Chiweenie who’s looking for a home with humans who will work on his separation anxiety. We don’t know how long he was on the streets fending for himself. He’s with a foster and sometimes seems fearful that she won’t be back when she goes out. He’s a sweet boy, and with a little work could get along with other dogs.

 

little white dog sits upright on armchair.
Lennox, a 1-year-old Chihuahua mix, is quiet and shy at first but becomes very personable when he opens up.

These sweet cats are from Long Beach Animal Care Services. To help make space in the shelter—especially the cat cottage, where intake has been so overwhelming that some of them wound up in the shelter manager’s office—adopt or foster these guys.

face of greay kitten with lighter muzzle looking at camera.
Venus is a 4-month-old beautiful steel-gray goddess, and you’ll want to hold her in both your arms! As lovely as she is, she’s bound to get into some kind of kitteny trouble—cats don’t usually play it safe! She’s very friendly and will greet you as you enter the room. She wants you to know that you are her number one—and we wouldn’t want it any other way! Ask for ID#629129,
an orange cat is in a meatloaf position, looking past the camera. A tortoiseshell cat is on the other side, looking upward.
Orion is a year-old male orange tabby. Orange cats are special, you know, and Orion is very kind and calm. His roomie is a tortie called Salem, and this bonded pair loves the company of each other. Where one goes, the other is sure to follow! As most of us know, two cats are always better than one! Ask for ID#A629827 for Orion and ID#A629828 for Salem.
Blue building in distance, sign over it saying "Animal Admissions," between two white pillars. To the right is a banner with blue highlights and animal faces that reads "Adopt at Long Beach Animal Care.
The signage at the P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village doesn’t specify which door leads to the shelter and which to spcaLA. But it’s easier to determine now. To adopt one of the pets in this article or any from Long Beach Animal Care Services—the shelter—pass through the door to the left of this banner, with the sign “Animal Admissions.”
Things to do, pets to support

 Please send any Long Beach or Seal Beach pet-related events or projects to [email protected]. Posting subject to approval

Southern California Bulldog Rescue calendar photo contest: Aug. 1–Sept. 3, $25 per entry

How’d you like that beautiful, drooly, jowly face that you adore to be a pinup girl or guy for the largest bulldog calendar in the world? Join in the photo contest for Southern California Bulldog Rescue’s 2020 No Bulldog Left Behind calendar! Entry fees will earn you a complimentary calendar and a chance to win by collecting as many pledges as possible. The top pledge getters will each have a month, and one will have the honor of being the cover photo! New this year is the opportunity to claim a special day to honor a birthday, a memory, an adoption day or any day that’s special to both of you. Visit the website for rules and details; contact [email protected] or [email protected] for questions. Only squatty little slobberers may apply!

Long Beach Animal Care Services adoption event: Saturday, Aug. 3, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Petco, 3065 California Ave., adoption fees vary

The shelter’s Adoption Waggin’ (aka Land Rover) will wheel in dogs, cats and maybe a couple of bunnies that you can adopt and then buy stuff to spoil them rotten at Petco.

Fix Long Beach Free DOG Spay/Neuter Clinic, sponsored by Justin Rudd: Saturday, Aug. 10, 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m., Marine Stadium, 5255 E Paoli Way, Long Beach, free spay/neuter appointments for qualifying people; free microchips, shots, flea-med doses, dewormers and nail trimmings $10 each—no appointment necessary.

The best way to mitigate shelter euthanasia is to tamp the source, and that’s why we’re here. Our appointments are fully booked, but you can come for standby at 10:30 a.m. Appointments are available for future clinics—come make one. Full details are available here. Thank you, Justin Rudd, for sponsoring our clinic and making our community a safe place for pets.

Pet donations for Fix Long Beach at Moonlight Movies on the Beach: Tuesday, Aug. 20, 8:15 p.m., beach at Granada Avenue and Ocean Boulevard, 5000 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, free movie and free parking

Wondering what the three stars of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” is doing in a pet column? It’s not Matthew Broderick’s rebuked-puppy face but a new community effort by Alfredo’s Beach Clubs, teaming up with tireless community organizer Justin Rudd, for the Giving Back Project. Long Beach Transit, the Port of Long Beach and Long Beach Stuff sponsor the event, and they’ve picked Fix Long Beach as the beneficiary. Fix Long Beach is asking for donations of food, treats and new toys for dogs and cats. Dinner, snacks and, of course, popcorn are available for purchase, and parking is (whee!) free after 6 p.m. Bring a blankie or a beach chair, and enjoy a film! Check all events here.

Benny’s Big Birthday Bash: Saturday, Aug. 24, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Camp Run-A-Mutt South Bay, 945 W. 190th St., Gardena, $15 regular admission, $20 for admission and Quartermania

Benny is the little cat who went through hell, was stuck in limbo for a while, and then reached a deserved paradise (you can read his story here.) Benny’s paying it forward, back and in every direction he can jump, which are surprisingly quite a few. Enjoy wine-and cheese tasting, quartermania, vendors and adoptive kitties, all of whom should go to as good a home as Benny has. All proceeds from the event will benefit Benny’s benefactors: Helen Sanders CatPAWS and Long Beach Animal Care Services. Tickets and more information are available here.

Drags for Wags, to benefit Sparky and the Gang: Saturday, Aug. 24, 4 p.m., Hamburger Mary’s, 330 Pine Ave., Long Beach, $10 donation

Some of the greatest ladies of the town will put on a show for their very besties—the adoptable doggies at Sparky and the Gang Animal Rescue.s Raffles and giggles all evening long!

Image courtesy of- @3aussienbrothers.

Doggie Paradise: Saturday, Sept. 14, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., Queen Mary Events Park, 1126 Queens Hwy., Long Beach, $25 general admission for 4 years old and above, to include one dog; $20 for each additional dog; $50 VIP admission

Even though they won’t be boarding the ship, humans will be envious of the cruise-type amenities offered this afternoon in September: splash pools, mutt-fashioned souvenirs for their humans at the arts-and-crafts table, a ball pit to go all Fido in, and, of course, a spa in which all the pooches can get shampoos and manicures. The Cutest-Dog contest sure beats karaoke demos, and Instagram photos, vendors and other contests promise a fun-packed day. For the “parents,” the Bark-eology Tent will offer workshops that include pet first aid, CPR, training and Reiki Healing, which reduces feelings of anxiety, stress and depression in dogs. Yeah, if humans can have it all and still feel that that there’s a ton of bricks on the psyche, can’t dogs as well? Don’t have a dog? Adoptable and fosterable pets from the Seal Beach Animal Center and Long Beach Animal Care Services can take care of that. General admission is good for one human and one dog, with access to all activities; VIP admission offers an additional swag bag, including a branded water bottle and matching T-shirts for person and poochie.

Tickets to Doggie Paradise are on-sale starting at $25 for general admission (ages 4+) and includes event admission for one human and one dog, with access to all activities including workshops, free runs, arts & crafts, treat vendors, adoptions, and more. VIP admission is $50 and includes event admission for one human and one dog with access to all activities included with GA, plus a treat bag including matching shirt and bandana for pup and owner and a Doggie Paradise-branded pet water bottle. Get the long version of the event here.

Shelter Shenanigans

Have an overnight for a kitty with Foster Fridays! The shelter has kittens coming out of the walls—literally. The shelter manager constantly has a few in her office! Every Friday from 2-5 p.m., shelter staff is inviting residents who have the necessary accommodations—a safe space, time to feed them and play with them, and a propensity to say “Awwww!” every 15 minutes—to take a healthy, weaned kitten home for a while. Shelter will provide food, litter and a carrier and will cover any offsite medical. Time commitment is two weeks, with an option to adopt—of course! Foster fail! Have questions? Contact the shelter director at [email protected].

The Kitten Super Bloom and Bunny Adoption Special continues into Sept. 1, featuring  $20 cat, kitten and rabbit adoption fees at Long Beach Animal Care and at all @spcaLA locations until further notice. Check out shelter manager Staycee Dains’ video. Again.

Your old towels and blankets wanted and needed at Long Beach Animal Care Services

Stop! Before you toss away the old towels or use them to sop up the oil on your garage floor, consider our shelter  animals! gently used hand towels and regular-size ones clean up messes in the kennels and dry off pooches and kitties after baths. Don’t forget small and medium-size blankets, too. Cats curl up on them and dogs are warmed and comforted. Drop by the shelter with them and a shelter staff member will help you take them in.

Bottle feeders needed desperately, ongoing

This is Jellybean, and he’s eating gruel (think 6-month-old baby human in a high chair). He needs help getting all his food in his mouth and then cleaning his cutie-pie face after he’s finished eating. Photo courtesy of Long Beach Animal Care Services.

This year’s kitten season has been a downpour. Last Saturday, about 40 pets (in one day!) were brought to Long Beach Animal Care Services, and over 30 of them were kittens, many just born. Our shelter and the Long Beach Little Paws Project kitten nursery need help badly and immediately, whether you are an experienced bottle feeder or have never had a cat before. Compassion happens when the rescuing begins—private-message the shelter on its Facebook page with your contact info to help kittens in our shelter, like Jellybean. Please share the post on that page widely. If you’re not in our area, your local shelter kittens need your help, too.

Other/ongoing

Register for Strut Your Mutt Los Angeles

Best Friends Animal Society is teaming up with our partner rescue groups, shelters and animal-welfare organizations to help save the lives of homeless cats and dogs at Strut Your Mutt. Local Long Beach groups such as The Little Lion Foundation are participating, and animal advocates and lovers will be coming from everywhere. Register for the Walk or donate if you have a pet who just won’t be walked—cats come to mind. All funds raised go directly to lifesaving programs such as spay/neuter, adoption, and a KITTEN NURSERY! This year’s event is on October 26, 2019 at Exposition Park in Los Angeles—all information is available here.

Donations accepted for Pets of the Homeless

Pets of the Homeless’ home page gives a self-description as the only organization focusing only on providing food and care for pets belonging to homeless people. Businesses and other organizations across the country receive in-kind donations of food and other needs that the dogs and cats’ human families can pick up at outreach locations. The following Long Beach businesses will accept your donations:

Trendi Pawz, 255 Redondo Ave., Long Beach

Belmont Heights Animal Hospital, 255 Redondo Ave., Long Beach

Paw Shoppe Pet Center, Inc., 6416 E. Spring St., Long Beach

Food and supplies are available at Beacon for Him Ministries, 1535 Gundry Ave. Long Beach, Mondays from 9:00 a.m. to noon and Saturdays from noon to 3:00 p.m.; and at Christian Outreach in Action, 515 E. 3rd St., Long Beach,Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Donations will be gratefully accepted at these locations as well.

Adopt, adopt, adopt

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]. Click on the links for each rescue in case of updates or changes.

Chase Bank, 5200 East Second St., Long Beach

The Farmer’s Marketplace of Long Beach, 5000 E. Spring St. (Spring and Clark), Long Beach

Gelson’s Market, 6255 E. 2nd St.

Kahoots Pet Store, 18681 Main St. #102, Huntington Beach

Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach:

PetSmart Cerritos, 12741 Towne Center Dr, Cerritos

PetSmart Compton, 1775 South Alameda St., Compton

PetSmart Garden Grove, 9835 Chapman Ave, Garden Grove

PetSmart, Long Beach Exchange, 3871 N. Lakewood Blvd., Long Beach

PetSmart Seal Beach, 12341 Seal Beach Blvd., Seal Beach.

PetSmart Signal Hill, 2550 Cherry Ave., Signal Hill

Unleashed by Petco, 600 Redondo Ave.