September 2010 Archives

While there are several Blessing of the Animals events this weekend in the South Bay, there's also one in our neighboring city of Long Beach.

It's the 9th annual Interfaith Blessing of Animals presented by Haute Dogs, Justin Rudd and Gazette Newspapers at noon Saturday at Marine Stadium, 5225 E. Paoli Way.

Free spay and neuter vouchers will be handed to the first 10 animal owners to visit the Animal Care Services booth at the festival, which also features a series of dog contests, pet adoptions and vendors.

Here's the schedule:

• 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., pet adoptions and vendors
• 11 a.m. Ugly Dog and cute Dog contests
• Noon Interfaith Blessing of the Animals
• 1:15 p.m. Chihuahua Beauty Contest
• 1:45 p.m. Most Photogenic Dog contest (contestants bring two photos)
• 2 p.m. National Mutt Show

There are entry fees for the contests. The pet blessing ceremony is free -- and never boring. Last year's participants included a wildcat, monkey, ground hog, owl, monitor lizard and a 7-foot-long python.

Go to the Haute Dogs website for more details.

We know you were thinking about adding a new member to your family this fall.

From 3 to 6 p.m. Friday (Oct. 1), the SouthBay Pavilion Mall at 20700 Avalon Blvd. in Carson will join with L.A. County Animal Care and the Reva Foundation to host a pet adoption event.

Residents can stop by to adopt a new pet and meet the staff -- or, if you're looking for a new volunteer opportunity, you can find out how to do that, too.

You also can bring your pet along for contests ("best tricks") and games.

Staff members will provide information on how to care for your pets.

Included will be raffle prizes and pet owners also can upload a video on the mall's Facebook page answering the question "Why do you love your pet?" to win a gift certificate.

So go check it all out.

It sounds like lots of fun.

And if you adopt a new pet, send us your photo & we'll post it on the South Bay Pets blog.

Several Blessing of the Animals events are set for Saturday and Sunday throughout the South Bay.

They have been traditionally tied to the Oct. 4 Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and the environment, with Jewish congregations tying the celebrations to the story of Noah and the flood from the book of Genesis.

For inspiration, we give you Desi, one of two Chihuahuas owned by Daily Breeze colleague Sandy Gerety, in the photo below (that's Sandy's daughter Rachel holding Desi).

If Desi looks a bit terrified, Sandy says it's because she had been having tummy troubles at the time and when the priest went to touch her tummy for an extra blessing, well, Desi just wasn't so keen on the idea.

Coming up Saturday and Sunday in the South Bay (all dogs must be onleash and smaller pets need to be in carriers). Readers are invited to send us photos they take at any of these (or other) events for posting next week:

Saturday (Oct. 2) events:

10 a.m. to 1 p.m., First Lutheran Church and School presents the second annual Blessing God's Creatures Festival. Pets will receive free souvenir buttons labeled "I've Been Blessed." Other highlights include a petting zoo, pony rides, exhibitors, demonstrations, door prizes, free samples, refreshments and a mobile vaccine clinic. 2900 W. Carson St., Torrance. Call 310-320-9920.

10 a.m., St. Anastasia Catholic Church invites the community to bring their pets and animal friends. All species are welcome. Every pet will be recognized and blessed for the friendship and companionship it brings. Animals need to be brought in carriers or on leashes. 7390 W. Manchester Ave., near Westchester. Call 310-670-2243 or e-mail parish@st-anastasia.org.

11 a.m., St. John Fisher Catholic Church will hold its 24th annual Blessing of the Animals on the school patio. Monsignior Steven Zak will officiate. Each animal will be blessed individually and receives a "Blessed Creature" badge. 5448 Crest Road, Rancho Palos Verdes. This is a free, nondenominational event.

Sunday (Oct. 3) events:

10:30 a.m., Unity Church of South Bay will celebrate with a nondenominational full service devoted to the human-animal connection. Each pet will receive a certificate of blessing and a ribbon. Those who want to honor a deceased pet or who cannot bring their pet are welcome to bring a photo to be blessed. Dogs must be on a leash. Cats and small animals must be in carrying cases. 2545 W. 237th St., Torrance, Call 310-325-2760.

4 p.m., St. Peter's Episcopal Church's annual Blessing of the Animals will include goodie bags filled with treats. a representative from a local animal clinic will also be available to provide free pet care information and to answer questions. 1648 W. Ninth St., San Pedro. Call 310-831-2361.

5 p.m., Congregation Tikvat Jacob invites the community its Pet Havdalah, where people can bring their pets for a special Havdalah service to close Shabbat Noah. The service will include special blessings and treats for the pets and their humans. 1829 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach. Call 310-546-3667 or e-mail office@ctjmb.org.

Seeking more revenue, Los Angeles City Council members voted to increase pet adoption fees today.

The Empty Saddle Club showcases the unsung heroes of the equine world this weekend at Mule and Donkey Days 2010.

The event kicks off at 7 tonight, Friday, with a TGIF party. The public is invited to bring a dish to share and listen to country-western music.

At 8 a.m. Saturday, cattle events include team roping, penning and team sorting, with events wrapping up by 4 p.m.

Sunday is probably the best day for spectators to observe the humble but mighty mules and donkeys.

Activities -- including cutting, halter, English, jumping Western, trail and Gymkhana -- start at 8 a.m. and continue into the afernoon.

For more information contat Vic Otten at 424-634-0397 or email him at vjotten@cox.net.

Thanks to our Daily Breeze colleague Raye Koyanagi for bringing this very fun video to our attention. It's been making the rounds on the Internet, but I hadn't watched it until now.

And just look at all the border collies! (And other dogs, too.)

Their dogs would be surfing. Like the ones who competed last weekend at Huntington Beach.

This was the second year the event was held, with proceeds going to charity. For more, check out the Surf City Surf Dog.

Events and services organized around blessings for household pets have grown in popularity over the past few years.

Many of this year's events are planned for Saturday, Oct. 2. Among them is the second annual "Blessing God's Creatures" festival at First Lutheran Church and School (10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2900 W. Carson St., Torrance).

Organizers say they expect about 500 animal lovers to attend the event that includes adoption booths, demonstrations, a petting zoo, pony rides and pet vendors.

At 4 p.m. on Oct. 3, St. Peter's Episcopal Church in San Pedro (1648 W. Ninth St.) will hold its animal blessing, handing out goodie bags filled with pet treats. A representative from a local animal clinic also will be on hand to provide free pet care advice and answer questions.

We'll post a full list of the upcoming events soon (they'll also be listed in the Daily Breeze -- here's a preliminary list, but more will be included in another round-up next week).

All kinds of animals show up for these ceremonies now, from sloths to zebras to horses.

And I just love this photo below that I saw today at the Orland Sentinel's animal blog, Animal Crazy.

In 2005, the Rev. Blake Rambo brought his cat, George Harrison, and his parrot, Toby, for the blessing event at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in New Smyma Beach, Fla.

I don't know, but from the look on that cat's face, I wouldn't exactly trust George Harrison to be alone with Mr. Toby too many times.

I've seen that look before. What do you think he's thinking?

Have any experiences (or photos) you can share with our readers about attending one of these events? Or one in particular you'd like to plug that's upcoming? Leave a comment or email me at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.

A bug? A lizard?

Annie the cat spent a good part of this morning obsessed with an area near the front door where I keep the dogs' fetch balls, leashes, bags and other out-the-door, entry-way supplies.

I have no idea what she was hunting for. I couldn't see anything. But she saw something. And I've learned that she's never wrong when it comes to these things.

The other night she showed up ("jingling," that collar bell is making me crazy) at my back door with what looked like either a mouse or rat in her mouth.

I thanked her.

Then I promptly closed the door, denying her entry. 

So it was a busy weekend with the Strut Your Mutt walk in Santa Monica.

Among those participating was Julia Sarah Silver Warady of San Pedro, founder of Happy Hound Helpers (a new pet-sitting business ready to launch in the Harbor Area in early October) and her super-cute bassett hound, Barkley:

I'm told Barkley wasn't so keen on wearing the flowers at first. But he adjusted. Looks like he was a pretty good all-around sport about it all. 

Julia was walking on behalf of Bassett Hound Rescue at Daphneyland.

Held on the Santa Monica Pier, the event was sponsored by the Best Friends Animal Society to raise funds for local rescue groups.

Friends from Border Collies in Need, founded by San Pedro resident Suzanne Strauss, and Rover Rescue based in the South Bay (Redondo Beach) also were among groups participating and partnering for funds raised.

Send in your pictures from the walk if you took some! We'll post them.

Do photos of your pets sometimes feature those creepy, demonic eyes?

The folks at Kodak have found a way to get rid of that (Pet Eye Retouch) -- and as a way of promoting it, they have launched a "Possessed pets" Facebook application page and contest. You create a photo, add a fancy frame online, and enter the contest at the same time.

"Pet eye" is different than "red eye" in photos of humans and the new Kodak fix recognizes the flash in pets' eyes to remove it.

(My former dog Ellie is shown below in an old print so you can get the idea.)

We received a reminder today about the state's new spay-neuter car license plates that will be produced -- but only if proponents sell 7,500 of them in pre-orders by June. So far, only 1,500 have been sold.

You can learn more and pre-order the plates online.

A story out of Mississippi:

Gil Moreno, manager of the Los Angeles County animal shelter in Carson, called us this morning to let us know the facility is entering the final phase of the renovation that began in February.

He also wants to get the word out that even though this part of the work entails shutting down the last of the three buildings with dog kennels to do work that will take six weeks, no animals will be euthanized due to the project.

Nevertheless, word spreads fast in the animal rescue community and Moreno said he'd received calls just this morning from concerned animal activists in Alabama, Missouri and Virginia who heard that animals would be put down as a result of the construction.

Moreno said the shelter, built in 1961, is doubling up dogs in the two other buildings while the work continues and shelter staff also are working with other shelters and stepping up mobile adoptions.

"We're doing everything possible" to make sure there's enough room for the animals being taken in, he said.

The work temporarily closes down 48 out of the shelter's 144 dog kennels in order to install new plumbing, lighting and paint. The other two kennel buildings were done earlier in the year.

The project also involves building a permanent "state-of-the-art" clinic onsite to do spay and neutering (right now the county operates a clinic out of a double trailer on the shelter grounds).

The project should be done sometime before the end of the year, he said.

The shelter is at 216 W. Victoria Street. Phone is 310-523-9566.

Now I don't feel so guilty.

Researchers in a new study (published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association) found that, despite the popular conception otherwise, most cats adjusted to wearing a collar just fine.

Proper fit is the key, they said -- you should be able to fit two fingers between the neck and the collar.

Almost three out of four cats in a new study wore collars consistently during a six-month study, suggesting that most cats will tolerate a collar even if their owners are skeptical about its success.

..... Convincing cat owners that their pets, even indoor-only cats, need identification is "a tremendous uphill battle," said Linda Lord, assistant professor of veterinary preventive medicine at Ohio State University and lead author of the study.

"A lot of people start out with the dogma that cats can't wear collars, that they won't tolerate them or that they're dangerous. Now pet owners can look at this research and, if they own a cat, maybe they will now consider that they will be able to put identification on them. A collar with an ID tag is probably a cat's greatest chance of ever being re-homed or brought back if it is lost."

Researchers tested three types of collars -- plastic buckle collars, buckle collars designed to detach when caught on something, and elastic stretch safety collars.

Only a few of the 333 cats tested lost their collars. The story I read didn't indicate if researchers recommended a particular kind of collar for cats.

Annie has an adustable break-away collar (with a bell, although lizards are apparently quite deaf). This is her second collar. The first one that I purchased last October when I adopted her eventually frayed. Granted, that first collar was a major ordeal to get on -- she resisted firmly -- and she managed to slip or squirm out of it a couple times. About the third time, she gave up and it stayed put.

Some people told me I was "mean" to put a collar on my cat a year ago. But knowing she'd eventually learn to navigate through the doggie door and would wind up outside for at least part of the time, I felt that having a visible ID on her was imperative.

She accepted this new collar very readily (it's a little bulkier than I thought it would be, to be honest, and wider than her first one -- I ordered it online). Still, I had no trouble putting this one on.  

Annie also has a microchip. But I feel easier knowing she's also got an easy-to-check ID tag (reflective on the back side for night visibility) that includes my phone # in case she gets lost.

What's your experience been with cats and collars?

Two more lizard tails found last night on a rug in the hallway (and promptly taken outside by Annie the cat's "staff" -- that would be me).

Memo to self: shake out blankets and bed sheets every night before going to bed, check shoes and slippers before inserting feet, DO NOT walk barefoot through the house in the dark, wear glasses indoors at all times: 

What happens when 100 cats are set free in a closed Ikea store? 

If you haven't already spent enough money on your dog or cat, there's a nice new line of pet accessories from Crate and Barrel.

I like this cat food mat at the far right:

Other stuff:

The show actually kicks off Friday morning with riding events beginning at 7:30 a.m. each day through the weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10-12) at Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills Estates.

The event raises money for Children's Hospital Los Angeles -- specifically for the Clinical Imaging Research and Technology Program -- and is presented each year by the Peninsula Committee Children's Hospital.

Admission Friday is free for everyone. On Saturday and Sunday, admission is $5 for adults (children 4-12 are $2 each and those under 4 are free).

For more information, go to the Portuguese Bend Horse Show fact sheet or check the the show's website. You can also call the information line at 310-318-8258.

For Perry, who belongs to South Bay dog trainer Barbara Millman. :-)

The special occasion for the Shetland sheepdog took place in August.  

He sits so nice.

(If you want your dog to sit that nice, sign up for Barbara's next beginning dog training class. The class starts Sept. 25 and meets at 8:30 a.m. Saturdays for 7 weeks in the parking lot outside Dino's Pet Shoppe, 1724 Palos Verdes Drive North, Harbor City; first class is owners only & you can sign up in advance at the store or on the first day of class. Cost is $75 and that allows you to bring your dog back free anytime for refreshers).  

It's almost time also for the several "blessings of the animals" held throughout the South Bay in October and November. 

Among them this year is one hosted by First Lutheran Church and School in Torrance
(2900 West Carson Street) set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 2.

If you know of others, send the information in and we'll post the details.

A dog with South Bay ties has made the finalists' list (the only Southern California dog to do so) in a nationwide contest among rescue groups to win $5,000 in pet food coupons.

Buddy's is an amazing story -- clinging to life when he landed in a Kern County shelter, Buddy was slated for euthanasia when volunteers from Border Collies in Need took him under their wing in 2009.

The group, founded in 2007, provided for the extensive veterinarian care -- and with recovery care at a foster home in San Pedro -- over the next several months.

Buddy's now in a permanent home -- he was adopted by a Los Angeles police officer looking for a senior dog -- and is happy as can be, spending his older years playing fetch, munching on treats and generally getting pampered.

You can cast your vote for Buddy online at www.rallytorescue.org, the site for Purina Pro Plan's Doing More For Pets contest. Buddy's currently in fourth place, I'm told, and voting ends Oct. 1.

The prize (thanks, Purina) will help Border Collies in Need continue its work in rescuing other dogs like Buddy who otherwise would not have a chance.

And be sure to watch the video below with Suzanne Strauss of San Pedro -- one of the founders of Border Collies in Need. What a great clip that really says (and shows) it all. Suzanne talks about Buddy's story with the dog's new owner, Joe.

Then, go vote.

Here's Buddy's full story:

I'm not sure Josh's sister wanted these published exactly. But I'm going to publish them anyway since she sent them to me and a group of her friends and nothing's safe from publication in my hands unless you specifically tell me so!

So send me yours.

Here's Cosmo: :-) The photos were labled "Cosmo Walking" and "Cosmo Sleeping." But only his eyes appear to be moving here. 

Take a look at these photos of a bear in Alaska taken recently by one of our readers (Josh's sister):

So here we are, at the end of summer. Already.

There are a number of events coming up that we'll be posting about shortly. But let us know if you're involved in something our readers should know about, just in case we've missed hearing about everything. One thing we did learn about is a drill by the Torrance Animal Disaster Team on Sept. 18.

And a new beginning dog obedience class starts on Sept. 25. The classes meet at 8:30 a.m. Saturday (first class is owners only, no dogs) for 7 weeks at Dino's Pet Shoppe (formerly Kritter Korral), 1724 Palos Verdes Drive North (at Western Avenue), Harbor City. You can register in advance at the store or on the first day of class.

Some of you have sent me some pictures I'm going to post also. If you have pix of your animals you'd like us to share, send them in to me -- donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com. We love seeing and hearing about readers' pets.

Anything new to report about your dogs or cats (or other pets) from over the summer? Did they learn any new tricks? Take any classes? Discover any new canine sports or hobbies? Earn any new ribbons or awards? Training successes? Failures? Goals for the coming year? Special problems you're working on?

In the meantime, here are a couple new photos of Cowboy & Tess.

Yeah. I know. You couldn't wait to see them again.

 I'm still thinking about therapy dog work with one or both of them and more herding with Tess.

About these photos: We were visiting a friend last weekend in an assisted living facility, sitting in the building's sunlit library. Tess passed some of the time while we talked by washing Cowboy's ear.

Check out Daily Breeze photographer Brad Graverson's photo gallery of the wolves that visited San Pedro's Fort MacArthur Air Force housing on Thursday.

The nonprofit organization Shadowland Foundation sponsors the events as a way to educate the public about wolves.