The Shelter Chronicles: It's the Pitts-Memorial Day Adoptions!

In Memoriam

This blog is dedicated to all the dogs, cats and rabbits who have lost their lives at the many shelters throughout the United States due to over population. Animals add so much to our lives, but sadly, we as a society do not value them as precious souls but rather as commodities to be bought, sold and disposed. Please support your local shelters by adopting your next pet rather than buying one online or in a pet store . Save a life, ADOPT!

Please support AB 1684, animals lives are depending on it!

More Fantastic Pit Bulls at West Los Angeles Animal Shelter!


Shane A890083
Shane is the best dog and loves everyone. He enjoys playing and hanging out with other dogs. Shane is about 7 years old and currently learning his obedience! He's got lots of energy!! He's a lover not a fighter!

Charles A938440
Charles may look intimidating to some, but to WLA's volunteers, he's just a big goof ball! I'm guessing he has some bull dog in there as he is a snorter :-) So cute! He's great on leash and very easy to handle. Very friendly!

Caramel A915679
How this dog hasn't found a home yet is beyond me. Caramel is the sweetest girl ever. In fact, she keeps hurting herself by wagging her tail so much and whacking it on the bars! This girl is all about the love. Please, give her a chance!

Ivy A941267
Another lovely little pittie girl just looking for a new best friend. She is very sweet and friendly. I mean how cute is this dog?!!! I don't know her well myself, but I hear tell that she is a winner!

Archie A751168
This guy is so cute and gentle. What a sweetie! Archie is about 8 years old and needs a loving home to take care of him. Look at that sweet face. He is full of love and kisses. What a charmer!

ADOPTED!

Tristan, Westchester and Megan

These Three fabulous Pit Bulls were Adopted this weekend!!!
Each dog found a wonderful new home, for life we hope!

Know your breed, don't support breed bans!

The Shelter Chronicles: Correction!

Correction: Look for the full page ad in the LA Times featuring WLA Shelter dogs on Thursday, 5/22/08!

The Shelter Chronicles: Updates and NEWS

Sweetheart of the week!

Tristan A932984

Tristan is an amazing dog! She is a Pit Bull around 7 years old with a heart of gold. She has been rooming with Westchester who is the sweetest of dogs. They are a perfect match! Tristan is such an easy dog. She's friendly, obedient, smart, fun loving, I could go on and on. She really is the perfect dog for anyone who loves dogs. The funny thing about Tristan was at first I thought she was unfriendly, go figure! She is the friendliest ever! However, her bark can sound a little serious, but hey, that just means that her bark is way worse than her bite, cos she doesn't bite!!! She'd be an excellent watch dog. Tristan a winner in every respect, just a really good girl. Come meet this beautiful dog today!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First and foremost, a big announcement:

West LA Animal Shelter will be featured on CBS NEWS on Channel 2 at 5 pm on Monday, May 19th!

Seth Casteel is going to speak about how good photos of the dogs help get them adopted and I will talk about how people should come and visit the shelter and adopt our gorgeous dogs! Also featured are Cole and Sugar, two of our sweet shelter dogs!

Also, the LA Times is running a FULL PAGE AD on Monday, 5/19 featuring many of West LA's most adoptable cuties! Don't miss it!

We've also had some very exciting adoptions recently. One of the most exciting was the adoption of Sam and Dino TOGETHER!!! A lovely gentleman opted to take these two great dogs to his home with a large yard where they can live happily together for the rest of their lives. They were picked up in a pet taxi and driven to their new digs this week! Yay, Sam & Dino! See, good things do happen at the shelter!

Tiger Lily also found a home earlier this week and so far we think it's working out. She moved in with a male rottie, I think... T.L. is such a love that I can't imagine that she wouldn't hit it off with her new friend. It's always easier to find homes for dog-friendly dogs.

Diamond, the sweet Pittie girl with bad luck, was adopted but it didn't work out. She's back at the shelter due to no fault of her own. Just another example of an inexperienced person taking on a dog that is way beyond their ability. Also, just a reminder that it is the responsibility of the dog's guardian to always protect and keep their dog safe. If the dog gets loose, it's not the dog's fault! Poor Diamond, will she EVER find her forever home?

The other news is on Princess, a dog who was widely circulated on the web due to her health problems and the fact that she was red listed. I had also put her up on this blog a few times. She is one of those dogs who captured my heart in that she was having such a hard time adjusting at the shelter. Many people came to her aid and raised money to save her. Still it took some convincing by some convincing people to get a rescue to pull her, but it finally happened. Kudos to Dogs without Borders for taking on this project of a dog!

Princess (now Cleopatra)
at www.dogswithoutborders.org

Princess is currently being boarded at Brandon Fouche's K9 Communications and we are still looking for a foster home for her. I had Princess stay with me one night and she did well. She loved everyone she met! She is a really sweet dog, but she needs to receive training and behavior modification. Princess seems very dominant with other. She has already showed improvement since being out of the shelter but she needs to learn to curb her need to be so dominant. She also has a high prey drive and I would suggest not having her around small animals of any kind including small dogs for now.

I took Princess to the adoption event at Barks and Bitches (love that name!) and even though it was held in a relatively small space with lots of small dogs around, she didn't do too badly. I was a little nervous that she might be too stressed out or show aggression, but she managed to hold it together. She met a few dogs, some successfully. She did meet a dog who was super friendly and non-reactive named Bruce! So cute! Anyway, I really hope we can get Princess the training she needs so she can start making friends!!!

No takers at this event, but I know that Dogs without Borders is really trying to place her in a foster home so I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Don't forget to TIVO CBS News tomorrow 5/19 at 5pm!!!!!

The Shelter Chronicles: Old and New -- the best of the best

Midnite A933469 (photo by Seth Casteel)
lovely med/small mix. young nice dog,
easy to work with, knows some obedience, great dog to go for a hike!

There are soooooo many dogs at the shelter and sooooo little time to spend with them. They are all deserving of a good home, patience, training and high quality food. No dog should have to live out his final days in a shelter, even a nice shelter. I just hope that you, the reader, will be inspired to tell your friends about my wonderful friends and maybe, just maybe, we can work together to make a match!

Here are some NEW faces that I don't think I've mentioned before:
Sorry for the sad shelter shots rather than the fabu headshots taken by our own fabu Seth Casteel.


Cabesa A701490
This awful photo may win for one of the worst pictures ever taken. This dog is actually a beautiful Pit Bull who, it seems, was used for fighting. I don't know how he gets along with other dogs as we haven't tested him. Otherwise, he is a really great dog. He would do best with an experienced dog person. Not because he's aggressive but because he needs some training and he is super strong. He's a real marshmallow though, as are so many of our Pit Bulls. Don't be put off by his scary appearance, he's a very nice guy.


Tiger A921702
Very shy, beautiful brindle female. She's probably between 1-2 years old. This little girl came in with a 5 month old puppy of whom she was extremely attached. The pup was adopted and Tiger was left behind. Being that she is a bit shy, being in the shelter has been very stressful for her. She does NOT make a good impression in her kennel (so what else is new?). However, when out of the kennel, she is a lover girl! She seems to like people a lot, she's just a little nervous about the whole thing. Once she sees you're a nice person, she's your good friend. With some patience and good training, this girl is going to be a wonderful companion. So, if you are a slacker about training...ehem...you know who you are, Tiger isn't your dog.


Precious A934994
I think this picture sums it up, this precious girl is scared at the shelter. She's been there a few weeks now, but still is very uncertain about who is friend and foe when she's in her kennel. She is a total sweetheart when you take her out for a while and she can relax. A very nice dog from my personal experience. This dog is a case of who knows what she's really like in a normal environment. She really doesn't show well in the kennel and must be taken out for a a little bit before she calms down. I didn't see her as hyper, just scared.


Brooks A933523
This guy is a big boy and very handsome. He is also one of those shy pitties who hasn't had enough socialization. He's a young dog and gets along with other dogs. Brooks is timid and needs some patience and understanding. Keep in mind, it's important to work with an experienced trainer when dealing fearful dogs. Once this guy gains his bearings, he will be a fantastic friend! He's already sweet, now he just needs some confidence.


Charles A938440
This guy is so cute in person! He's big and kinda bulky. He also snorts which is one of my favorite dog traits! I haven't worked with this guy personally, but my sources at the shelter tell me that Charles is a peach! Now, if you ask the guys at the shelter they may say differently. I think, as usual, that Charles is just afraid and uncertain of the things that the uniformed folks do, like hosing down the kennel! So, I take it with a grain of salt when they say a dog has "issues" when the woman working with him is about 100 lbs. and tells me he is easy to handle. Anyway, he's a very good boy and would love to meet some available ladies (or guys) to take him home!


Archie A751168
I don't know much about Archie, but he really touched my heart when I stopped by the other day. He's an older Pit Bull mix, probably around 8 years old. He seems very calm. He sits in his kennel and looks at you with such a sad little face. I went over to pet him and first let him smell me. I slowly went to pet under his chin and he moved in closer. Then he raised his paw as if showing me he was a good egg, I was hooked. I heard that the dog walkers are taking him out so I'll find out more tomorrow.


Rocky 899965
Rocky is a very good looking boy. He's a youngster under 3 yrs. He's a Chow mix so he has that amazing lush coat. He's very friendly and seems to like other dogs. He hasn't gotten a lot of attention for some reason. Probably the black dog thing... Anyway, he's medium size and easy to handle. I think he'd be a very good family dog. Aren't people always looking for an easy family dog!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As for the old, i.e.old timers at West L.A. Here are some of them and they are ALL waiting for a great home. I admit, many are Pit Bulls who would've been put down months ago had this been any other shelter. Thank goodness we've been able to keep them safe, at least so far. I think each and every one of these great dogs deserves a good home!

• Westchester A896771- Pit Bull/ Male/ Gray & White
• Megan A897032- Pit Bull/ Female/ Black & White
• Diamond A735002- Pit Bull/ Female/ Brindle
• Paolo A922555- Pit Bull/ Male/White & Black
• Sadie A902312- Bulldog Pit mix/ Female /Brindle & White
• Angel A919365- Pit Bull /Female/ Black & White
• Caramel A915679- Pit Bull /Female /Tan & White
• Cooper A910483- Pit Bull Male White & Tan
• Sugar A923887- Pit Bull /Female /Brindle & White
• Cole A910874- Lab /Male /Black
• Dino A915863- Shepherd Mix /Male /Tri color
• Sam A915861- Chow Mix /Male /Red
• Mollie (originally Sara)- Lab mix/Female /Black
• Iyame A925520- GSD /Female /Tan & Black
• Briana A893324- Pit Bull/ Female/ Tan
• Shane A890083 - Pit Bull/ Male/ Black

The Shelter Chronicles: Roxbury Park Adoptions- You learn something new every day!

Princess A914086: GREAT with KIDS
Iyame A925520: Sweet and Beautiful!
Brianna A893324: Perfect Family dog!

As usual, the Roxbury Park adoption event led to the adoption of 3 small dogs including a Corgi mix, a Carin Terrier mix and a little Basenji girl. Hopefully it'll all work out and we won't see any returns... It's actually rare with small dogs that they come back, but you never know...

Otherwise, the event was a lovely day out for several dogs who are long timers at WLA. Some of them had never gone to an adoption event before. The great thing about taking dogs to these events ,even when they don't get adopted, is that we learn more about their personalities. That info is very helpful in the long run in trying to find them the right home.

For example, Cole our adorable old Lab fellow, who is also the fetch king, was great at the event. He enjoyed hanging out with the older dogs, i.e. Sam and Dino. He did very well, wasn't reactive and basically enjoyed himself a lot along with his handler and champion Tara! He's a great dog who just wants to enjoy his golden years in a nice yard and a cozy bed! Any takers out there!!

Our forgotten girl, Briana, did better than ever! She was hanging around other dogs without incident. That is a big step for this lady. She is very sweet and absolutely loves kids. Her handler, Debbie, said that Brianna would be the perfect family pet! People, this dog loves kids and all people!!! Please come and meet her, she's been at the shelter for ages!!!

Princess, our skinny girl, did very well considering her reactiveness to other dogs. I think what we discovered is that Princess is a dominant female. She is really sweet but bossy, as are many dogs (including my Rottie). She loves to chase balls and play with stuffed toys so we used these kinds of items to distract her from other dogs. As the day wore on she could get closer to other dogs without reacting. I feel confident that with patience and training, she would enventually be fine with other dogs. In the meantime, she is a fabulous only dog and would be a loyal campanion. She's very loving and affectionate. She is also GREAT with kids!

Sam and Dino were stars at today's event. I hope that they are being widely networked as they are the sweetest guys ever. Both like other dogs and are non-reactive to almost everything! They were just wowing the crowd with their charm today!

Btw, it was Iyame who was returned last week after Best Friends. She is that gorgeous GSD who has a lovely temperament. I'm sure she'll find a home soon though. It's important to remember, don't make impulsive decisions when it comes to adopting a dog. The people were not ready for two dogs and realized right away that it wasn't going to work for them. I don't blame them and I can see how it is easy to get sucked into the "saving a dog" thing. However, BE REALISTIC! That is key to making a good adoption decision!

Westchester!
Tomorrow at Roxbury Park

After the amazing showing at Best Friends, with only one return so far, we are off to the races once again. Tomorrow is the Roxbury Park adoption event in Beverly Hills. I believe that it's part of the Big Sunday volunteer campaign that the city puts on each year.
WLA will bring lots of very adoptable small dogs as Bev Hills is more of a small dog area. We will still bring some of our harder to adopt dogs as well, if nothing else but to give them a nice day out!
The dogs who are going are:

• Princess, who has been widely networked at this point, is going. She is soooo skinny, it's crazy. She seems happier mentally though. She has been on many past posts.
  
• Cole, the amazing ball fetching dog will be there.
• Brianna, the forgotten girl is coming.
  
• Westchester is going accompanied with his newest gal pal Tristen.

Other than those dogs, I'm really not sure who else is going to be making an appearance.
I truly hope we have a few adoptions although we never do very well in Bev Hills...

Roxbury park is on Olympic and Roxbury Drive in Bev Hills!