If you’re still looking for the perfect Valentines date, don’t miss the 1st Annual “Adopt A Valentine” pet adoption event happening Saturday, February 13th at LA Animal Services’ North Central shelter (3201 Lacy St LA 90021 – two blocks east of Figueroa off Ave 26). This special pet adoption benefit will include substantial discounts on adoption fees ($78.50 per dog and $50.50 per cat), plus an extra $25 off the first 10 adoptions of the day. Click on the image to view the flyer with all the information.

This past Saturday we had the opportunity to distribute the items that we had collected at last December’s vegan drinks. A few fabulous people gave up their Saturday afternoon to join us giving in out a huge pile of toys, treat, blankets, food and beds to animals at LA Animal Services’ North Central shelter. We want to thank everyone who showed up (or attempted to show up)! We had a great time and could tell that it made the day a little bit brighter for the animals waiting for new forever homes. You can check out a few photos from the event below:

[View with PicLens]

 

As part of last December’s Vegan Drinks, The Vegan Collection asked people to bring toys, treats, beds, blankets or cash donations to be distributed to homeless pets. We were taken back by the outpouring of generosity of the Vegan Drinks crowd! We ended up with a complete carload full of items to be donated to LA Animal Services as well as a nice sum of cash which was used to hit up after X-mas sales to maximize our buying power. We have contacted LA Animal Services and set up an appointment to give out all these items this Saturday, January 23rd. We would like to invite anyone who is interested to join us for an hour or two spending time with us handing out treats and giving a little attention to these unfortunate animals who somehow ended up in the shelter system. We will be meeting at the North Central Shelter which is located at 3201 Lacy Street, Los Angeles, CA 90031 at Noon this Saturday. If you would like to join us, please e-mail kevin@thevegancollection.com to RSVP. Once again, we can’t thank those who donated enough!

Halloween is right around the corner and once again LA Animal Services is looking for donated costumes to dress up animals for their mobile pet adoptions. LAAS is asking for help in getting donations of costumes or if you’re the creative type, you can making a costume for a dog or two. Maybe you have an old costume from years ago or your dog it is a bit more *ahem* “fluffy” than last year and the costume is to small to fit them any longer. They’ll take it. You can drop off your donation at any of the 6 city shelters.

As most people hopefully know by now, all dogs and cats 4 months or older must now be spay or neutered unless the animal has gotten special exemption. The penalty is a misdemeanor and the fine for not doing this can be up to $500. This Saturday, August 29th, you can bring in your dogs into the East Valley shelter and have this procedure done for free. You must make an appointment (call 1-888-349-7388) and all vaccines are included with the surgery. The one catch is that your family household income must not exceed $31,700. Click here for more information.

As disheartening as volunteering for LA Animal Services can sometimes be, it’s more critical now than ever to put aside those feelings and step up and help. FOX 11 news (a.k.a. FoxLA) did a short piece which you can view below about the extreme overcrowding currently happening at LA Shelters.

And remember, if you don’t have time to personally volunteer, donating funds to rescue organizations that pull animals from the shelters is also extremely helpful.

As of July 1, not only did the state hike sales tax, but LA Animal Services drastically raised their adoption fees. Unfortunately, with budget cut-backs and people looking to make up the shortfall, the animals are getting the short-end of the stick. Prices for dog adoptions are now $117, cats are $76 and rabbits are $56. I understand that the cost of living for everything in California is going up, but the jump in 20 plus dollars seems a bit excessive. I would think that lower fees would get more animals out of the shelters costing less money for taxpayers, but time will tell if the new fees cause lower adoption rate than the previous adoption fees. Too bad the animals are the ones who will suffer in the meantime, but what’s new?

The Free to a Good Home 2 art show opening will be happening this Saturday, May 9th, at the book/art/toy store GR2 on Sawtelle. This canine-themed group art show will feature pieces from over 50 artists as well as having dogs available for adoption at the opening with the hopes of matching them up with new owners. LAAS will also be accepting donations of supplies and food for the shelter. (Suggested donations: blankets, towels, unopened pet food, pet beds, pet coats, kongs, etc.) Those making donations through the duration of the show will receive a coupon for 25 percent off their next purchase at GR2. Dogs will be available for adoption from 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM with a reception featuring many of the artists from 6:30 PM – 10:00 PM. Here are all the details:

Free to a Good Home 2 Art Show Opening and Dog Adoption

Reception: Saturday, May 9, 6:30 PM -10:00 PM
Adoption: Saturday, May 9, 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Location:
GR2: 2062 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025
gr2.net
(310) 445-9276

LA Times is reporting that LA Animal Services’ manager Ed Boks has resigned as of today. It’s been long overdue. Speculation is that it is in response to this:

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa hired Ed Boks the Director of Animal Services without checking out his references. He did not know that Boks had just been sued for racial discrimination and unlawful termination a month before he hired him. When the City was apprised of the lawsuit in January 2006, Boks told the Mayor that the lawsuit “had no merit.” Antonio did not investigate and took him at his word. Judge Kimba Wood in New York has ruled otherwise.

In an opinion and order dated March 27, 2009 Judge Wood stated that “Viewing the available evidence as a whole, the Court finds that a reasonable jury could conclude that Defendants terminated Plaintiff because of his race.” Since the judge’s ruling the City of New York has decided to settle with the plaintiff Wesley Artope. The exact amount is unknown at this time.

How I love gossip. Goodbye Ed, you won’t be missed.

Links: LA Times, Cleveland Indy Media Center

A few weeks ago LA Animal Services launched a new bulletin board aimed at connecting with their volunteers. So far postings on the board have been very sporadic (I haven’t seen one message yet from the North Central shelter where I generally volunteer). One complaint (among a whole host of others) that I have about LA Animal Services is that they do a pretty poor job coordinating their volunteers and if they use this tool properly, it looks like this might be a step in the right direction. Unfortunately I am still unable to find any info on upcoming LAAS volunteer orientations, but if you’re interested in reading the bulletin board, you can find it here.