sweet william: April 2011 Archives

It's a busy weekend for pet-related events. We've posted about these events previously, but as a reminder here's what's going on:

• America's Family Pet Expo starts today and runs through Sunday (4/15-17) at the Orange County Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Among the local rescue groups that will have booths are Animals Rule (San Pedro) and the Peter Zippi Fund for Animals (Hermosa Beach). Look for them and stop to say hi. Tickets are $12 general admission.

• A Wilmington church, In His Power Christian Center, will sponsor a community "Pack Walk"  from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday (4/16) to  raise awareness for spaying or neutering your pets. Walkers meet at the church, 602 Broad Ave., and will walk to Pacific Coast Highway and Avalon Boulevard. So leash up your dog(s) and join them to "walk for a cause."

• A pet adoption fair and community barbecue will be presented from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday (4/15) at the Silverado Senior Living facility (for Alzheimer's patients), 514 N. Prospect Ave., Redondo Beach. There also will be information about the facility's pet therapy program.

• And for those of you who have followed the saga of Sweet William, the gentle, one-eyed pit bull who found happiness with a loving Torrance family, you can stop by to offer your moral support and encouragement from 1-3 p.m. Saturday (1/16) at the Petco store in the Crossroads shopping center (at Crenshaw and Lomita boulevards in Torrance). Sweet William has been undergoing cancer treatments and would love to receive some pats on the head and hugs. His family would appreciate it as well, and it would give them a chance to meet those of you have been following the story and rooting for Sweet William.

And don't forget all the regular pet adoptions this weekend sponsored by our South Bay and Harbor Area rescue groups. Most of the local pet stores usually feature weekend adoptions by these hard-working nonprofits.

So enjoy the weekend! And email me your photos if you get to any of these events, we'd be glad to post them on the blog next week.

For those of you who have followed the story of Sweet William, the one-eyed, 67-pound pit bull-chow mix who has been undergoing cancer treatments:

Sweet William and his Torrance family, the Lockwoods, will be at the Petco store in the Torrance Crossroads Center from 1-3 p.m. April 16, a week from this Saturday.

They're hoping some of his supporters will turn out to give him a hug and to provide some much-needed moral support. As with most treatments, there have been ups and downs along the way.

Noah's Bark, the Manhattan Beach rescue group that took in Sweet William eight years ago, is helping with the treatments for the melanoma that was discovered on the dog's tongue just before Christmas. Sweet William, who went on to be a therapy dog -- and turned into a wonderful family dog as well -- has been the subject of several Daily Breeze articles over the years.

From Tina Lockwood's email this week regarding the upcoming April 16 Petco event:

We aren't doing it as a fundraiser per se, we just want to be there so people who donated at the previous bake sale can come out and see him and get an update and give him a hug. We definitely need all of the positive thoughts and prayers we can get at this point. And last time we were there, the results were miraculous, to say the least. We will also likely have my twins pouring lemonade and/or iced tea for the well-wishers who come out.

Our story from January gives the background and you can also keep up to date with Sweet William's progress on Sweet William's Facebook page.

The Lockwood family from Torrance adopted the gentle, pit bull-chow mix dog Sweet William, 11, from the rescue group that included his caretaker Marilyn Wayne (glasses) eight years ago.Tina Lockwood, her husband and 6-year old twins Matthew and Brianna have given the dog a loving home; just before Christmas, Sweet William was diagnosed with cancer. (Robert Casillas / Staff Photographer)