Give a shelter pet a home for Christmas

Give a shelter pet a happy holiday and the best forever ever

Holiday greetings to you all on the night before the night before the night before Christmas. As your furry housemates are lying all snug in their beds, which they likely share with you, remember that they may be among the many pets who never had a chance at a long, loving life until people like you came along. You might already have thought of that, and often.

This holiday season and all year long, too many pets linger in shelters. No matter how good each shelter may be (and some are not) or whether they have staff and volunteers as devoted and hardworking as the ones at Long Beach Animal Care Services, dogs, cats and rabbits, at the literal end of the day, curl up at night in lonely, isolated kennels with no one to hug them at bedtime.

Please, if you’re going to add a pet to your family, stop at a city shelter before you go anywhere else, and visit a rescue, not an unlicensed breeder or social media, if you don’t find your new BFF. Whether an animal was taken to a shelter because of hard luck in the household or brought in because they were left behind, neglected or abused, these pets have been miserably failed. Bring one of them home not just for the holidays but forever. It’s the best gift you can give to both you and anyone on four (and maybe three) legs.

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Pets to adopt or foster

If someone on your holiday list has a pet on their gift list, present them with the coupon below and embark (or purr-cede) on an outing where human and animal can discover each other. You pay the shelter release fee and, if you like, purchase any food, toys, leashes and litter boxes. Then, anticipate the best forever ever.

These dogs are ready to wait for Santa by your fireplace. They’re at the shelter at Long Beach Animal Care Services, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach at the entrance to El Dorado Park (no parking fee for shelter visitors). Hours are Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 7700 E. Spring St. at the entrance to El Dorado Park (no parking fee for shelter visitors). Email [email protected] to speed the process for adopting or fostering.

Here’s our Stanley (ID#A707658), all spiffed up for the holidays! You might remember him from a recent appearance at City Council, where he charmed the mayor and got unanimous approval from council members. Stanley is a 6-year-old Dogo Argentino with a snuggly, loveable personality — he tries to do the lap dog thing with the volunteers! He has a hearing impairment, but it hasn’t interfered with his activity. Surely he’ll hear sleighbells ringing if you come to take him home.

Have a little Gumbo (ID#A705236) for your holiday! Gumbo is as lively as his name suggests, and as comforting. He’s also patient — he sat through several costume changes without even rolling his big pibbie eyeballs until the right look was achieved. Take Gumbo home, and laissez les bons temps rouler!

Magdaline (ID#A704288), a Staffie, is only a year old and has her life ahead of her. She deserves it to be a long one. A forever home is on her holiday wish list, and she’s been good — very, very good. Any dog who’d submit to Christmas costume silliness is a good dog, and one with a sense of humor!

Pet events and announcements

Shelters, rescues and every business that’s animal related is looking forward to the new year! Ring it in with these events! (Leave the horns and noisemakers at home — they hurt the little furries’ ears.)

Cats and Mats yoga at Feline Good Social Club

Get rid of all the kinks and knots you got from putting up the lights, bending over to get the last Barbie on the bottom shelf at the store, putting the tree back in the stand after Rover knocked it over, and taking down the lights. Long Beach’s only cat lounge is promising a “paw-sitive experience” with stretches, positions and adorable adoptables walking on, under and around you.

Friday, Jan. 5; 1 to 2 p.m., Feline Good Social Club, 301 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, tickets $25, available here

Drag Queen Bingo with The Little Lion Foundation

Everyone had so much fun at the last Drag Queen Bingo event that they’re bringing in another! Host Mia Anastasia Farrow will be calling out the numbers and creating more havoc and outrage than an assemblage of alley cats. Great prizes, good food and entertainment, and all funds going to support cat rescue and animal welfare through the Little Lion Foundation.

Saturday, Jan. 6; 6 to 9 p.m., Ficklewood Ciderworks, 720 East Broadway, Long Beach, tickets $20 at the door

The Feline Good Social Club founders seem to have made a new year’s resolution to have as many silly, cat-related events that they could squeeze into a month. This one’s a doozy. In observance of National Dress Your Pet Day, where there’ll be snarling, unsheathed claws and puffy tails, the Club’s volunteers are putting outfits on their cats and inviting you to interact. You’re bound to adopt one of them just to promise them that they’ll never have to wear a onesie again. Or maybe you’ll find one who actually enjoys being a feline fashion queen!

Sunday, Jan. 14, spaces open from 1 to 2 p.m., Feline Good Social Club, 301 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, tickets $19.99 (for the special deal, use the code 2024dressyourpet, good for three tickets this day only), purchase here.

To see a list of local animal rescue groups, click here.