December 2010 Archives
We ran a story on Christmas Eve in the Daily Breeze about William McCain and his dog, Floppy.
McCain, 51, of Palmdale could be the poster guy for our lousy economy.
After his marriage broke up, he lost his job, his house, his car -- and last week, after struggling for months to feed and take care of his dog, Floppy, he came to the conclusion that he had to let go of the last thing that gave him hope.
Julia Pennington, a volunteer with A Dog's Life Rescue in west L.A., just happened to be at the Lancaster animal shelter when McCain brought Floppy in.
She began recording the process on her iPhone.
"He's a great dog," William told her. "He deserves a second chance."
Before long, the emails and video started going out to Julia's network of animal rescue contacts, seeking help for both William and Floppy.
Rebecca Chambliss of San Pedro was among those who quickly responded, arranging for a foster home in San Pedro with John Karmelich (pictured below).
But it doesn't end there.
The remarkable part of this story for me is the many offers of help for William that came pouring in: possible job offers, housing, a computer.
Here is a sampling of the emails I've received (and have passed on to those involved in the story; others have come in to Rebecca and Julia). When I caught up on my work emails late Christmas Eve night after church, I felt like I was watching the end of "It's A Wonderful Life" while reading many of these:
*************************************************
"I've been looking for a direct effect charity to give to because i like donating money that DIRECTLY effects people's lives. i want to help this man out and pay for everything for his dog. it doesn't matter how hard times get, saying goodbye to your loyal best friend isn't an option. please please give him my contact info and tell him someone's interested in paying for everything regarding his dog. the food, dog sitting, the vet... whatever he needs, he gets... and then some."
****************************
My heart is breaking for Mr. McCain, I have two dogs of my own and cannot imagine life without them!
My dogs have been my anchor and my emotional rock when my marriage was falling apart and when I lost my brother and both parents in three years.
I know how deeply one can love a pet and how much comfort they bring.
Unfortunately, I cannot foster Floppy, but have posted the article on my FB page in hopes that someone can. I'd LOVE to see master and pup reunited when possible!!!
I would, however, like to pass on that Sharp Solar in Huntington Beach will be hiring soon, various positions and am hoping Mr. McCain might qualify and be interested.
Good luck to him, and to Floppy...they are in my heart this holiday!!
************
I am the Regional Sales Manager for an online advertising company
called iPromote
I'm very interested in reviewing Mr. McCain's resume with a view to
offering him a job.
I did not find any other contact other than yours and my hope is that
you may pass this mesage along to him please.
Happy Holidays
called iPromote
I'm very interested in reviewing Mr. McCain's resume with a view to
offering him a job.
I did not find any other contact other than yours and my hope is that
you may pass this mesage along to him please.
Happy Holidays
*********************
Hello...
my name is Ernie ____. I read the story regarding the plight of floppy and I would like to make an offer to work with me in a gift Card and gifting business.
I really think it would help him out.
If you or he are interested in hearing more about it, please contact me at ____.
****************************
Big weekend ahead!
I guess some folks have braved it, but we haven't been to the dog park in San Pedro since Saturday. Here's why:
Remember this home video from January?
We are still leash walking, however. Annie Oakley the cat is tough, she still enjoys going out when the rain periods are light. Cats, go figure.
It is actually a good time to wear those cute rain boots and show off your adorable dogs. Daily Breeze photographer Brad Graverson got this shot yesterday in Hermosa Beach:
Adrienne Green brought out her pink rain galoshes to
walk her dogs Molly and Noah, right, in Hermosa Beach. (Brad Graverson /
Staff Photographer)
So how are your dogs and cats holding up with the non-stop rain?
As always, we love to post your photos to share with our readers, so if you have some you want to send in -- Christmas, winter/holiday, rain themes -- feel free!
Remember this home video from January?
We are still leash walking, however. Annie Oakley the cat is tough, she still enjoys going out when the rain periods are light. Cats, go figure.
It is actually a good time to wear those cute rain boots and show off your adorable dogs. Daily Breeze photographer Brad Graverson got this shot yesterday in Hermosa Beach:
Adrienne Green brought out her pink rain galoshes to
walk her dogs Molly and Noah, right, in Hermosa Beach. (Brad Graverson /
Staff Photographer)So how are your dogs and cats holding up with the non-stop rain?
As always, we love to post your photos to share with our readers, so if you have some you want to send in -- Christmas, winter/holiday, rain themes -- feel free!
No other information was included with this photo submitted by a reader. But perhaps none is needed.
Is it me, or does Santa look a little grumpy here? Maybe he was just tired.
I spotted this lizard sitting next to me on the arm of my sofa Sunday night. Clearly another early Christmas gift from Annie the cat, that clever and generous feline. Even though he's not really a "pet," I thought he looked picturesque enough on the red Christmas furniture throws (he being more or less green), that he might fit in as one of our featured photographed winter pets for the season.
I know. I should have put a pair of antlers on his head -- or dressed him in a little Christmas sweater. A tiny jingle-bell collar, perhaps? A Santa hat? Something. Oh well. I suppose this way he keeps his primitive, reptilian dignity.
He looked like he was almost enjoying "Miracle on 34th Street" which was on television at the time. But I decided it was time for Annie's guest to leave. He would have to miss the end of the movie.
I picked him up (neither of us enjoyed that very much) and set him loose outside, putting him on the front porch railing.
He immediately leaped into the bushes below, vanishing in a departure that couldn't come soon enough for him, apparently. I just hope it wasn't a suicide attempt.
I made sure Annie was shut inside so she wouldn't just resume her pursuit (not right away, anyhow; we may see him again, though, knowing my cat).
I picked him up (neither of us enjoyed that very much) and set him loose outside, putting him on the front porch railing.
He immediately leaped into the bushes below, vanishing in a departure that couldn't come soon enough for him, apparently. I just hope it wasn't a suicide attempt.
I made sure Annie was shut inside so she wouldn't just resume her pursuit (not right away, anyhow; we may see him again, though, knowing my cat).
Aren't lizards supposed to be hibernating this time of year?
Maybe he is a special Christmas lizard after all.
This is Oscar. And I'll confess, these pictures immediately made me laugh. 
From his owner, Stacey: Thankfully, Oscar just frowns for a couple of minutes before he takes off the hats. But treats help him to sit still a few minutes longer while I snap a few more pictures.
I adopted Oscar from Beagles n Buddies in March 2009. He is possibly a Basset/Terrier/Shar-Pei mix. He's about 6 years old. Oscar is a very loving dog and I am very lucky to have found him. Then again, he is pretty lucky. In his first year and a half with me, we went on three vacations. He does well in the car and when we're out and about. Even some shop owners have let him inside the stores while I browse.
Want to see more photos? Oscar has his own Flickr page.And send us your winter/holiday pet photo to post.
These girls, it seems, are quite accustomed to having their photos taken so snapping this pose was no problem for our Daily Breeze colleague Sandy Gerety, their owner.
Desilu on the left and Carmen on the right were pretty good sports for posing in their new Santa hats. They are also the proud new owners of a Santa squeak toy.Hats and toy courtesy of Sandy's daughter, Rachel Jazina, co-owner of the Chihuahuas.
Wheeee! We have our first (non-employee) reader submission in the annual winter pet pictures extravaganza. See our earlier post for details.This comes from Christina who says it took her 20 minutes to get this shot (I feel your pain) of Brody, a Redondo Beach Chihuahua sporting what looks like a hand-knitted (?) reindeer outfit.
Very nice!
Here's a story out of Texas about a family who lost not only all their Christmas gifts, but also their dog, Candy, a 2-year-old teacup Yorkshire terrier who was taken by a burglar.
Most of the stolen gifts belonged to 13-year-old Cameron Rusaw. But Cameron, who was too upset to go to school Monday, said he misses his dog more than anything.
"I'm not worried about any gifts," he said. "I just want my dog back."
We did this last year and received some great photos.
So here's the deal: Email us a photo of your pet gussied up for the holidays in his or her special collar, sweater, hat, antlers, scarf, posing with Santa .... well, you get the idea. Then we'll post them at South Bay Pets.
If your dog refuses (and, believe me, we DO understand those objections -- see my dog Cowboy at left), a photo taken in front of the Christmas tree or simply in the snow would be great.
Be sure to also send along some information about your pet, including what city you live in (and state if you're out of the area), so we can post it along with the photo.
We'll post them as they come, now through the holidays.
Send them to donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com
And, yes, I did apologize -- profusely -- to Cowboy.
So here's the deal: Email us a photo of your pet gussied up for the holidays in his or her special collar, sweater, hat, antlers, scarf, posing with Santa .... well, you get the idea. Then we'll post them at South Bay Pets. If your dog refuses (and, believe me, we DO understand those objections -- see my dog Cowboy at left), a photo taken in front of the Christmas tree or simply in the snow would be great.
Be sure to also send along some information about your pet, including what city you live in (and state if you're out of the area), so we can post it along with the photo.
We'll post them as they come, now through the holidays.
Send them to donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com
And, yes, I did apologize -- profusely -- to Cowboy.
I took Tess sheepherding for the second time in her life on Thursday.
Our initial visit to the sheep herding ring in Long Beach run by trainer Jerry Stewart was in late summer, so I was afraid she'd forgotten all about it.
But she virtually trembled as we drove onto the property and would not take her eyes off those sheep the entire time we were there, whether she was in the ring or outside. She rocked.
Me, not so much. Handlers have to walk backwards a lot so eventually I tripped over a wayward sheep and went sprawling, hitting the ground in a cloud of dust. I'm sure I gave the sheep a good laugh.
Below are pics of some of the other human students and dogs in the ring:
Later in the day, we went to the dog park where Tess had to be satisfied herding the "sweater set" (small dogs).
Not quite as good as a sheep. But it'll have to do until we move to a farm or ranch.
Read about our first sheepherding experience in an earlier post that includes more details about the training site.
What are you giving your dog for Christmas?
For those of us with dogs who are simply too big (or dignified) to pull off the cutesy Christmas sweater look, we can do wonders with the humble collar.
There is an abundance of holiday collars on the market these days, from the silly to the sophisticated. Does your pet favor (and can you afford) some high-end bling? Check out the story about Sanderella in Beverly Hills.
But for most of us, holiday accessories must remain on the more modest side. Among the selection out there this year: rhinestones and ribbon-like prints featuring snowmen, Peanuts characters, reindeer, Santa Claus, ginger bread men, candy canes, Christmas trees and holly.
And bells.
We've gone with red jingle bell collars for the last several years. Cute but understated. The collars are leather and hold up well from year to year. And we sound like a team of reindeer when we go on leash walks through the neighborhood.
But it's not all about us.
Send us photos of your pet's holiday get-up this year -- sweaters, collars, reindeer antlers, other accessories?
We'll post them here and your dog or cat will be either famous or humiliated for life.
Be sure to include a few lines about your pet with the email.
Los Angeles Animal Services is finding new ways to place many of the dogs that overflow the city's six shelters, including the one in San Pedro.
Working with the Shelter Hope Project and the Humane Society, they've partnered with other shelters around the country to put dogs in areas where they're most likely to find new homes.
In the eastern part of the country, for example, there are waiting lists for the small dogs that are so plentiful in L.A.'s shelters.
Here's a video telling about the 64 dogs recently sent to Seattle, Washington, as part of the project. Among those who have been involved is Nicky and other volunteers at the Harbor Animal Care Center in San Pedro.
Good job everyone. Let's hope these guys find wonderful homes.
This is Mandy.
The 12-pound Manchester terrier caused a commercial airliner to make an unscheduled landing on the way to Phoenix on Monday -- after she got loose in the cabin and bit a passenger and a flight attendant.
The bites weren't serious and no charges were filed against Mandy's 89-year-old owner. They were placed on another plane after landing.
I was cleaning out my bedroom trunk today -- it's a favorite family heirloom that once belonged to my grandfather (I'd refurbished it 15 years ago when I added cedar lining).
I wound up with a bag of sweaters for the Salvation Army. But the best part: Annie the cat was delighted to discover a wonderful new spot to curl up while I worked. She purred the whole time, lying on an old wool quilt I'd purchased at an auction in the 1980s at the Clay County Iowa Fair.
It was last summer that I found her in my empty Apple computer box. iCat:
I didn't make it to the "Meet the Breeds" both for the Samoyeds when I attended the show in Long Beach on Saturday.
But not to worry. Josh's sister sent in this photo of three of the dogs who were in the booth on Sunday. What a great looking bunch of dogs.
From Left to right: Lily, Mia and Sherman
The Friends of Redondo Beach Dog Park sponsored dog photos with Santa on Sunday. They sent us a couple photos from the event, which was a big success. Proceeds all go to park maintenance. We'd asked them to share some shots of the event with us.
The e-mail from Nancy Grenier, a member of the RB Dog Park board and a graphic artist who served as the event photographer:
We had a great turnout! It is one of 3 photo events that we do each year and probably the more popular. It was a fun filled day for all and a successful fundraiser for the Redondo Beach Dog Park.
I have attached 2 photos from the event. Thanks for including them on the blog! :)
Looks like it's an Australian shepherd. Hooray!
Here's Kelly Puente's story. And there are more photos from Sunday's final round of conformation judging at the website of our sister paper, the Press-Telegram.
From the AKC:
We're proud to announce the 2010 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship Best in Show Winner - CH Propwash Reckcon, an Australian Shepherd bred by Leslie Frank, owned by Leslie and Judy Harrington, and shown by Judy! Congratulations to Reckon!!
Handler Judy Harrington and her Australian shepherd, Reckon, wait to accept the Best in Show ribbon at the Long Beach Convention Center on Sunday. (Stephen Carr, Staff Photographer)
Cats like being way above you. Annie especially likes being able to look down on the border collie dogs in our household.
Check out the great photos (way better than mine here) by Stephen Carr and the story by Pamela Hale-Burns of the Long Beach Press-Telegram, our sister paper across the bay.
I hung out near the agility ring for the afternoon, where our friend Bogey (see our Daily Breeze story from the past week) made a respectable run with handler Deborah Davidson Harpur of Harbor City. Since Bogey lost his eyesight in his left eye a while back, agility courses can present a challenge for this little guy. He made a couple wrong turns, but finished the course out in good form.
And the Tibetan spaniel from San Pedro was a virtual blur out there on some stretches of the course. (Or maybe that was just my camera phone.)
You can see today's agility results here.
I'm not sure who this dog was, but if there were awards for cuteness ...
But these girls (below, right) also were pretty cute -- Bichon Frise dogs owned by Sandy Bradley of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce. They were on hand as part of the "Meet the Breed" booths in the lobby. Accustomed to being adored, they lapped up all the attention they got.
Here's a photo she sent me of the dogs' 2008 appearance at the dog show:
From Sandy: They're shown their breeder Sandy Madia who breeds under Marquise Bichon Frises. Lily (Marquise Springdale Lalique) on the left is 6 and Opal (Marquise Iridescent Opal) will be 4 at the end of February.
Below is a video of the other South Bay dog, Beau, a Bedlington terrier from Torrance, with handler Mei, 14, a Peninsula High School student also featured in our earlier article linked above (the dog show continues through Sunday at the Long Beach Convention Center):
The last two dogs of the four show dogs stolen earlier this week have been recovered. Tracy Manzer of the Press-Telegram, our sister paper, posted a story later this afternoon, reporting that the dogs got a little extra attention at the show because of all they'd been through.
The original Press-Telegram story from earlier in the week drew widespread attention, reaching readers as far away as Australia and Sweden. The story also was picked up on television newscasts, which no doubt led to the quick resolution.
David Peek and Kristina Rickard share a moment Wednesday with Didi, one of the two stolen Akitas returned by law officers. Two corgis, Bunny and Peter, who were also stolen now have also been returned. (Jeff Gritchen/Press-Telegram)
About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.