The Shelter Chronicles: Updates

We've had loads of adoptions of late, not all great, but some have been good. I always feel sad when I hear that one of our sweetest dogs has been adopted to be a "guard dog." But unfortunately there isn't a whole lot I can do to stop that from happening. Anyone reading this blog, I would assume, would already know that dogs need to be part of a family, not just thrown in a yard and forgotten or, even worse, left outside tethered.

Sigh, on the happier side there have been terrific rescues at the 11th hour by Karma Rescue. Cole was scheduled to be PTS and right in the nick of time was put in contact with a trainer and then in a foster home where he's doing great. Yay! Thanks Karma!

Other adoptions: Sui, Missy, Coqueta, Angel, Wendy, and I'm sure there are lots of others that I can't think of right now.


Still Waiting and getting URGENT!


Tiger A921702
Wonderful little pittie girl. Young. Well behaved, happy, calm, great with other dogs. What more can I say? Needs a home NOW!

Paolo A922555 Medium Pittie boy, high energy, very playful, a real character, needs training but very willing and good natured! Give this guy a chance!

Cooper A910483 large Pit mix, young, great dog, wonderful with people, needs some training with other dogs, just a real sweetheart of a dog. NEEDS OUT NOW!

The Shelter Chronicles: Aw, Sugar

Sugar A923887 Medium size mixed breed

Aw honey honey, you are my candy girl… This dog is a big time sweetie pie. I mean she is the friendliest good doggie ever. She’s a very nice compact size, a mix of something and something else, it’s hard to tell. She’s definitely on the young side and really cute. With all these fantastic qualities, how is it that she hasn’t been adopted after SUCH A LONG TIME?

Well, for one thing, we thought that she might have dog reactivity issues. Plus, I don’t think she had too many opportunities to dispel these rumors that were based on her interactions around other dogs early on. Today, we finally decided to see how she would do meeting a dog, live and in person. I mean, she really needs to get out of the shelter so I figured that we had nothing to lose!

Great news, she did really well with the two dogs that she met (Cooper and Dillion). She was totally polite and appropriate with the other dogs. I mean her body language was perfect and she did everything right in meeting a new dog. I was so impressed with her wonderful behavior, I can’t believe that all this time we weren’t sure about how she would do with another dog. Who knew it would work out so well?

Of course, Sugar continues to be her happy and playful self, full of love and affection towards people. She even tried out the wading pool today! What a good girl! She has excellent obedience and is an easy dog to control.

Sugar would be great in a variety of settings. She wants to be around her people and loves to get affection. She wouldn’t be a good outdoor dog (but who would?) due to her strong need for human companionship. She would be great to take on a run or play out in the yard. Sugar has lots of energy and love to give to someone who can give her time and exercise. She’s a winner!!!

The Shelter Chronicles: Ana Banana

Ana #A0931199

Ana is an 8 year old American Staffordshire terrier mix. Her coat is a blend of colors of black, brindle and white. The volunteers who know Ana are sure that she is probably younger than the stated 8 years perhaps because of her smile or perhaps because of her eagerness to play and frolic. Ana was picked up as a stray off the streets of Los Angeles and was brought to the West Los Angeles Animal Shelter on March 3, 2008.

There are many incredible volunteers who lovingly give of their time to the animals in the Los Angeles city animal shelters. Some of these amazing volunteers are at the West Los Angeles animal shelter. Their goal is to acquaint themselves with the animals and then work with them trying to prepare them for eventual adoption. Ana has become a very special dog to some of these volunteers. Ally, Ingrid, Riley, Judy and others have seen something very endearing in Ana, perhaps it is her joy or perhaps it is her resilience even after being confined in a cage for six months. Whatever the reasons may be, to them she is the most awesome of dogs. These four volunteers are just a few of the many who set aside numerous hours a week to be with dogs like Ana. They are the life line for these dogs and for many of these dogs the volunteers are the only friends that the animals have.

On a warm, humid Thursday afternoon in August word came that Ana was going to be euthanized and had already been transported to another shelter. Tears flowed and words of disbelief came from the volunteers who knew and loved Ana. For reasons not known this plan was reversed and Ana was returned to the West Los Angeles Shelter. There were smiles on the faces of the volunteers and Animal Care Technicians who knew and loved this giant pit bull. You couldn’t help but smile as you heard “Hi Ana Banana” coming from the volunteers who rushed to see her and who were overjoyed that Ana had returned. Ana Banana was back!!!

I was not familiar with Ana but on that August afternoon I had an opportunity to accompany Ally, one of our youngest and most dedicated volunteers, as she took Ana into the play area. I could see first hand the loving, playful nature of this beautiful animal. I could now see for myself why she had become such a special dog to so many of the volunteers. Ally loves this giant dog with her heart and soul. They have a bond of love and trust that was clearly evident as I watched the two of them together. Ana had a big smile on her face as she romped around the yard. Her eyes closed in peaceful pleasure as Ally scratched her back. You could see the sheer joy in the face of this dog as she and Ally played in the yard. Ana has been described as unpredictable but on this occasion in this safe, secure and non stressful environment she was just a happy dog who was experiencing a few moments of freedom and joy with one of her best friends.

Ana’s future is unknown at this time. It was hoped that a rescue group would take her but apparently that plan did not work out. It’s always good news when a rescue group adopts a dog because the feeling is that this dog will have a chance for life and perhaps a better chance for adoption. It is still the hope of all of the volunteers and shelter staff that Ana will find the right family because she so much deserves a chance to be happy. This is our wish for Ana Banana who has touched the hearts of so many at the West Los Angeles Animal Shelter.

Thank you to all of the volunteers who have made such a difference in the lives of dogs like Ana.

Written by Mirja Bishop on August 20, 2008

The Shelter Chronicles: I'm seeing spots!!!

Dogs Rule! Spots and all.


A0626838 - Nicole - Dalmation - 7 years old

I love this dog. There is no dog sweeter, softer, cuter, more friendly, more calm or more lovable. That's it, that's all there is to it. I literally was having a regular hug fest with her! Seriously, she hugs! Anyway, here's the rub, Nicole is totally deaf. But I can honestly say, I don't see this as a big problem. She seems to be very well adjusted. She loves people, all people. She is so gentle and attentive. Really lovely. As for other animals, she shows no aggression or reactivity towards them. Rather she is timid and a little fearful. She has been showing some interest in meeting some dogs recently so possibly she can learn to be with other animals. She would be a terrific dog for someone willing to work with her deafness. She's attentive so I don't feel it would be very difficult to acclimate her to most situations. You don't need a lot of special training, just patience and commitment. Nicole has got a lot of energy left and so much love to give. This is a wonderful and beautiful dog, she needs a home with a loving family or single.


A0964196 - Scruffy - Terrior mix - young

Is this dog crazy cute or what? Scruffy is the sweetest little thing, he's actually small/medium size. He's just petrified at the shelter, completely frozen with fear. This is a dog who needs some understanding so that he can get over his shyness and fear. Scruffy is doing better now with attention and love from shelter volunteers. He has a lot of potential. I can't really say what his true personality is since his fear is the overwhelming personality feature right now. I can say he is sweet and adorable. He was actually really scared when he was having his photo taken but he was gentle and accepting. He doesn't lash out, rather he looks to you for support. Due to his shyness I wouldn't recommend Scruffy for little kids but probably fine for older kids.


A0925224-Kayla - Pit Bull - young

This is a great little pittie girl, full of sugar and spice. She's a great compact size with a gorgeous coat. She's easy to handle for most; I would never suggest a bully breed for older folks though. I don't know this dog too well, but I did find her to be super sweet and adorable. She seems fine with other dogs. And look how cute she is! She was so friendly and smart at our photo shoot. She seemed to know a few tricks, like sit on cue. She has a soft mouth when taking treats which is always a nice trait. I just really liked her. I can see her with a young guy or couple. She'd probably love hiking and activities since she's young, athletic and healthy. Come meet her and she'll work her charms on you as well!

Go To The Shelter!!!!! NOW!!!

The Shelter Chronicles: Good by to my littlest one...

My Little Girl: Little Big Head

What a weekend... Filled with ups and downs, happy and sad moments, and lots of crying.

First the sad news. My smallest girl, Little Big Head, passed away on Sunday. After a year of going down hill she finally succumbed to old age and multiple ailments. LBH was a great dog who started out as one of my fosters several years ago. She was a funny little dog, very quiet, but fiesty. She was also a reformed fear biter. Initially, she was biting people and chasing the cat, but once she settled in she was golden. Her favorite pastime was licking Sammy, my Italian Greyhound; and after he left this world she just licked anyone available. She was also deaf, ate cat poop and had very bad teeth, but darn her if she wasn't the cutest kid.

As for her origins, she was saved by the group Pugs & Pals from one of the shelters because she was about to be euthanized due to illness and biting. She was nursed back to health by the rescue folks and then put up for adoption. I fostered her for P&P but pretty quickly realized that she was going to be my dog. The rest is history... we had 7 wonderful years together. I just want to say that LBH will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her.

The good news this weekend was that the Big Lick shelter event kicked butt with at total of 49 adoptions including dogs, cats and bunnies! We had 24 dog adoptions which was amazing! In fact, during this week since the event we've had some of our long termers adopted as well! So, there is a lot to be happy about... and a lot of happy memories of my Little Big Head girl.

The Shelter Chronicles: A Few Good Dogs

FIRST, some important news! Next weekend on Saturday August 9th the shelter is hosting The BIG LICK! It should be lots of fun with ice cream and face painting and a picture of you with your new pet. We are hoping this event will boost adoptions as we sorely need to get some of these special doggies out of the shelter ASAP. The Summer is often a slow time for animal shelters and WLA is no exception. Higher intakes and lower adoptions mean more dogs in danger of being put to sleep due to over crowding. Believe me, we will try our darnedest to find proper homes for all the dogs, cats and bunnies, but we need YOUR help to succeed! Special thanks to Found Animals Foundation for putting on this event!

Some lovely dogs for your consideration!
SUGAR A0923877 Pit Bull mix
Listen, this dog isn't named Sugar for nothing! No dog loves people more and is as affectionate as this gal. Sugar is pretty young about 2 years or so. She's really cute and a perfect little compact size. Her issue is mainly that she has dog reactivity issues that seem to be workable with a trainer. Sugar has so much potential and has done so well at the shelter for so long... It would be a crime for her to lose her life now just because her time ran out at the shelter. She's so adorable and the volunteers love her. If you are fine having a single dog and working on her reactivity towards other dogs, she would make a wonderful companion. I just hope she gets her chance to prove it!


TIGER A0921072 Pit Bull
Tiger is more like a pussycat. This little girl is really sweet. She's about 2 or less years old, great with other dogs, people, not sure about cats... She's very easy to work with so I can recommend her for a family with older kids. She was at the BIG Irvine event last week and did so well. I was really proud of her. She hung out with her doggie friends very nicely. She even rode in the truck to Irvine with Mono (below) and now they are the best of friends. She's such an easy going dog, at the end of the day she was sleepy so she went in the crate and took a nap. Tiger could use a little help with her leash manners as she likes to pull a bit. But she's so excited to be out in the world! This kid is gorgeous and NEEDS your faith in her to make it to the next level. She wants to bond with you, come see her!


MONO/MIKEY A0904938 Boxer mix
Mono was adopted at Irvine, but only after 4 days he was returned to the shelter. Why, you ask? Because he had a potty accident. Oh wow, way to commit to your new dog! Totally annoying if you ask me. However, Mono IS a wonderful boy, a puppy actually, who is full of fun and energy. He's great with other dogs and overall easy to handle. He has that typical Boxer personality being a fun loving kook! A little training will go a long way with this guy. He's an absolute love, and you will fall in love if you meet him!


MISSY A933094 Pit Bull
This little girl is a youngster who needs a person that will give her the guidance and attention that she will need to thrive. She's done well at the shelter after starting out a little fearful and distant. Now she's a sweetie pie who is looking for someone to take her under their wing. First off she is very much the typical Pittie with lots of energy for playing and fooling around. She's so happy when she gets out of her kennel and can play with a person or a dog. She seems to do well with most dogs even though she comes on pretty strong initially (another typical pittie thing). I would recommend her for a single or couple with time to spend with her and teach her the ropes. Probably she's a little strong to have around little kids but fine with older kids.

SAVE A LIFE ADOPT FROM YOUR LOCAL SHELTER!