The Shelter Chronicles: Roxbury Park Adoption event 5/2

Wow, another event so soon after our terrific Best Friends showing. Needless to say we always have more dogs who need homes ASAP!

More to come on the dogs who will be appearing and hopefully finding wonderful homes. LAAS has lots of amazing dogs of all breeds, shapes and sizes. Come see us!

The Shelter Chronicles: A Beautiful Day!

The Best Friends event on Sunday was a big success. Tons of adoptions and rescues. What a great day! See for yourself! This fantastic video was put together by LAAS volunteer extraordinaire and dog expert Debbie Fan!

The Shelter Chronicles: April is Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month

This Sunday, April 19, 2009 at 11am at The Mar Vista Farmers Market an officer from LA Animal Services will be making an appearance!

He will be discussing what constitutes cruelty to animals, how to recognize the signs and what to do about it. This is a very important topic as many of us may come across a situation and not even realize that there are laws to protect animals.

The Mar Vista Farmers Market is located on Grandview Blvd. and Venice Blvd. The talk will be given next door to the Post Office behind the MVCC tent. Please attend and learn how to help animals in trouble!!!

For more info, please email me at lola4dogs@gmail.com.

Check out:
www.laanimalservices.com for more on animal protection laws.

The Shelter Chronicles: The Eyes Have IT!

I just got back from a very interesting dog training seminar with Sarah Kalnajs. I have to say that studying dog behavior really changes your perspective on dogs in general. They are always communicating to us, but we just don't understand what they are saying. Seriously, they are always showing their feelings towards people, other dogs and their environment. If we would OPEN our eyes, we could see that and learn to understand them...

Pecachu A1014129, Adult, Female, Medium, Chow mix

Adonis A1014130, Adult, Male, Medium, Chow mix

Now what do you think these dogs are trying to say? Hmmm, not too difficult is it? I'm scared, I want to go home, don't hurt me, etc....

Poor little Pecachu and handsome Adonis. These adorable medium-sized dogs are really cute and sweet as can be. Pecachu and her partner Adonis came in together and for weeks just hid inside their cubby. Finally, some volunteers noticed that these dogs hadn't been out of their kennel in forever! So with some TLC these cuties were coaxed out of their cubby and started to warm up to people.

My guess is that both dogs have never been on leash before now and most likely were backyard dogs. When we took them out of the kennel for the first time, they were tenative but happy to be "free." The two of them warmed up really fast once they were taken off the leash and they were giving us little kisses after about 1o minutes. They loved the human interaction and petting.

These dogs seem to function as one dog and they appear very bonded. They are both incredibly sweet dogs. I couldn't tell how fearful they really are or how their socialization has been so not sure about kid friendly. They are people friendly though!!!

I hope to get more info and new pix this weekend, but I just wanted to put them out there as they are super cute dogs who would make lovely companions for someone. These dogs would be eligiable for the Best Buddies program. Don't forget to ask!!!!

Princess, A0452795, Female, Large, Elkhound mix

What a pretty girl. Princess (oh please, can't they come up with something more original?) is a lovely dog who seems to be a gentle soul. She was a little afraid of me at first but once I offered some yummy treats she seemed okay with my putting a leash on her and taking her out. I didn't spend enough time to give loads of details, but my impression is that she is a very nice dog who has appropriate social skills with humans. In other words, she's not jumping up or acting a fool. Plus she is so beautiful!!! Her pretty soulful eyes will melt your heart!

Becerra, A0930437, Young, Medium, Pit mix

I've featured this cutie before, but he's still at the shelter. It's crazy! This is a fun and energetic dog. He is cute as a button too. Nothing makes this dog happier than a ball, any ball, big small, he just loves it! He's very nice and friendly. He'd be a fun dog for a family with older kids. He's really just a clown, as are most Pit bulls that I know. The volunteer who works with him absolutely loves him. She thinks he's a great dog for an active person or family!

Please come meet him, he needs a home...

Juno, A0948499, Male, Large, Lab mix

Okay, I haven't even met this doggie yet, but all eyes are on him! A bunch of people are telling me how rad this big black dog is and that it's insane that he's at the shelter. First off he already was adopted once and returned. The daughter of the people who adopted decided she was afraid of him. All the volunteers who have worked with him have literally said that this is THE BEST dog they EVER met at the shelter. Wow, that is a major vote of confidence from a lot of dog-savvy people. Thus, even though I haven't met him yet, I feel entirely comfortable to highly recommend this cutie and get him out of the shelter asap!

As always, all these dogs are available now at the West Los Angeles Animal Services center!

www.laanimalservices.com

The Shelter Chronicles: Oliver is now urgent!

A0764380 - Oliver Red listed!!!

Oliver is a 5 year old, neutered, German Shepherd Mix.

Poor Oliver happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time!! He was returned to the shelter and is now only available to rescue because he accidentally bit someone in the middle of a fight with another dog. Oliver is really a sweet dog that is very obedient and people friendly. It is unclear as to whether Oliver was just defending himself or whether he was the instigator of the fight, however due to the careless actions of one person, Oliver's fate lies in the hands of a rescue organization that is willing to take him.

Oliver meeting Cyrus for the first time.Oli is fine with other friendly dogs when properly introduced.

The Volunteers at the West LA shelter have spent quite a lot of time with Oliver before and after his return, he truly is a soul worth saving.

If you are able to help Oliver please contact the New Hope Coordinator at:

Samantha Westbrook
New Hope / Baby Bottle Coordinator
West Los Angeles
11361 W. Pico Blvd
Los Angeles 90064
Cell: 213 792 5811
Shelter: 213 485 0494/0495/0496
ani.newhopewla@lacity.org

Please help if you can! Donations will also help him.

The Shelter Chronicles: Terri Steuben at the Mar Vista Farmers Market this Sunday!

Big news for those of you local to Mar Vista! Terri Steuben, the remarkable Animal Communicator, Reiki Master and Medical Intutive is coming to the Mar Vista Farmers Market to give a talk on Animal Safety issues.

The lecture will begin at 11am this Sunday, 3/22/2009 at the MV Farmers Market on Grandview and Venice Blvd.

Terri is truly remarkable in her ability to read animals and people. Whether or not you subscribe to the spiritual side of understanding animals, you will be fastinated by what you can learn from her lifetime of working with animals. Terri has tons of practical knowledge to share so EVERYONE who loves animals can learn from her.

Terri will be located right behind the Mar Vista Community Council tent right next to the Post Office.

After the before and after the talk, Terri will be offering reading for a nominal fee. You don't even need to bring your dog, just a picture will do just fine!

Check out her website at www.calmhealer.com

The Shelter Chronicles: By the time we get to Woofstock...

What an incredible event today at Roxbury Park. Okay, maybe I'm just excited that WLA had 4 adoptions!

• Lovely Alex finally found a wonderful home with a dog savvy older lady. She was a doll. Alex will have a doggie sister and a brother.
• Diana the sweet GSD went home to Corona to live where there is a big yard!
• Hannah the Chow mix and Clyde the Jack Russell also found homes.

It really was a beautiful day. Everyone did a great job handling our dogs and the dogs were amazing.

Still available...


Chico A1007515
Male Chi/Beagle mix Male 2 years old small
This guy is truly a cute dog. Not a great picture though...
Chico is a quick study and wants to be a good boy. He's learning his basic obedience, is food motivated so it's easy to teach him. Chico's a pretty chill guy who seems to get along with all people and most dogs. He'd be just as happy if was the only dog though. I think he could do well in most living situations either with a family and kids or older folks. He doesn't have issues with kids or men, two common problems we find with unsocialized dogs. On the other hand, Chico seems pretty well balanced. With a little training this little guy will go far!

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Tucker A1008350
Pit Bull mix Male Young Medium
The word on the street is that Tucker is the man! I'm learning more about this kiddo, but I keep hearing that he's such a great dog. Friendly and easy going... I will get more info and get back to you on this, but I think he's a star in the making...


Honey A1007468
Pit Bull Female Young Med
I spent some time with Honey today and was very impressed! She is a honey of a girl. She is very sweet and easy going. One thing that impressed me was her excellent focus. Even with all kinds of activities and dogs in close proximity, she would stay in a sit and focus on me waiting for her treat. I think the volunteer handling Honey today fell in love with her. I saw them playing and relaxing. Honey is just as happy as a clam. By the way, Honey was returned to the WLA shelter because she WASN'T mean enough to be a guard dog! What EVER!!! I think Honey could fit into most family situations. Probably better with kids who are over 6 just because of her size and energy.


Sake A1015485
Puggle Male 2 years old small/med
Sake is a real joy to be around. He's great with other dogs and seems to love everyone! He is lovable and playful. I can't say enough about this little sweetheart of a dog. He's way way over weight right now so he'll need a diet. But Sake is raring to go and with a little exercise he'll drop that extra weight. Sake was an owner surrender but there was no indication of why they left him at the shelter. He just seems like a perfectly good boy! This is a great family dog for any family!

There's so many more dogs at WLA. Come check them out!! www.laanimalservices.com