Two great ways to celebrate the holidays, adopt a shelter dog.

Wow! So far it has been a stellar December at the West LA shelter with many larger dogs finding homes for the holidays. That is wonderful news! 

Yet, there are always more dogs (and cats) who are slipping through the cracks and are patiently waiting for a new home. If you are thinking of adding a pet to your family, now is the time to save a dog or cat from your local shelter. Shelters are FULL during the holidays and  they desperately need your kindness to get through this season. 

If you can't adopt consider fostering. You can also volunteer, donate/sponsor a dog or cat. 

Please, reach out to your local shelter and help. Happy Holidays!

http://www.laanimalservices.com

Another lesson in don't judge a book by its cover. It's in the DNA!

Don't call me a Pit Bull!

How a dog looks can be very deceiving indeed.  A study done by Maddie's Fund Veterinary Medicine program at University of Florida  makes the point over and over...and over.  It's simple, do DNA tests on a bunch of dogs, ask people what they think the primary breed of the dog is and then compare the DNA test results. The results will amaze you.

I had to laugh at some of the results because you have to wonder how some of these dogs got together?! It's a fascinating study and it will definitely make you reassess what you thought you knew about identifying dog breeds.  All I can say is those American Eskimo Dogs sure get around! ;-)

On a more serious note, I can tell you that every shelter out there is WAY off on their guesses as to what kind of dog breeds they have.  One reason there are so many Pit Bulls in the shelters is that most mutts look like a what we think of as a "Pit Bull."  How many dogs on this list would be categorized as a Pit Bull at your shelter?

Most importantly, this study proves another reason why BSL is such nonsense. How do you identify a dog as a Pit Bull?  I seriously doubt they are doing DNA testing on every dog.  How can BSL be legal when they don't even know the breed of the dog?  I'm starting to think that we need to eradicate the term Pit Bull from our vocabulary and call a spade a spade: it is a mixed breed dog!

So, check out this study, you'll be really amazed at some of the mixes.

http://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/library/research-studies/current-studies/dog-breeds/dna-results/

National Dog Day, help your local shelter dog!

Hey!  I just found out that today is National Dog Day! www.nationaldogday.com

How to celebrate:

Lots of sweet doggies waiting for homes at West LA right now. Why not save a life and adopt from your local shelter.  If not, you can do a lot of things to help the dogs at the shelter like volunteering or donating. As a volunteer you can do different types of activities with all the animals be they cats, dogs or rabbits. The activity can be as simple as walking a dog.  Inside and outside of the shelter there are adoption events where you can help people choose a shelter dog.  You can photograph shelter dogs, write about them, spread the word through social media, etc.  Donations can be money, items that the animals need, or donating your time to help keep the shelter going. There are tons of opportunities to contribute and I can assure you that you will feel really good about doing it. Animals have no voice, we are their voice.

You can get started immediately by helping me right now. Just tell everyone you know about these dogs! Happy National Dog Day everyone!! www.laanimalservices.com

Looking for a dog friendly dog? Meet Princess & Bobby at WLA shelter now!

People are always looking for dog-friendly dogs, right?  Whether you want a friend for your dog-friendly pooch or maybe you want to frequent the dog park, or your mom has a friendly Fido... Whatever the reason there is nothing bad about a dog-friendly dog. West LA is full of dogs who desperately need a home and are also very friendly with other dogs, so rather than looking through Craigslist, just mosey over to the WLA shelter and meet these terrific dogs who are both people friendly AND doggy friendly!!!! 

Another update on Queenie... Returned to the shelter.

I hate to have this news to share, but Queenie was returned after 1 day due to one of the dog's that lived in the home didn't like her and started a fight. No dogs were hurt.  So, back to the drawing board. Please don't forget her, she really needs the help!  Thanks everyone for all your help in networking this great dog!!! 




IN HONOR OF BROWNIE WHOSE LIFE SADLY CAME TO AN END BECAUSE OF PNEUMONIA, WE ARE APPLYING THE $400 PLEDGED FOR BROWNIE TOWARDS A RESCUE FOR SWEET QUEENIE WHO IS SLOWLY WITHERING AWAY AT THE SHELTER.  KRIS AT NakashimaK@ballardspahr.com WILL TRACK PLEDGES.






This sweet girl really breaks my heart. She was left at the shelter after a divorce. Queenie had always lived in a home with a family and through no fault of her own, she found herself at the shelter. She's been there for a long time now and her chances get slimmer over time. Please network this wonderful dog!

Donate to Provide Beds for Shelter Dogs!