We are happy to report that in the first six months of 2022, our Pet Support Space program provides services for 2,808 pets (1829 dogs and 979 cats)  Here is how the services ranked:

Veterinary Care – DDR provided a percentage up to 100% of the cost of care to prevent suffering, improve the lives of pets, and in some cases, provide life saving care. 1,658 pets received a wide range of  care, including wellness exams, vaccinations, surgeries and treatment for chronic infections/pain.

Spay + Neuter surgeries – A total of 824 were paid for by DDR. For these surgeries, DDR usually pays the costs, making it free to the pet guardian, or they have a small co-pay of $20-$40, and we take advantage of the LA City free spay and neuter voucher program.

282 pets received a monthly supply of pet food and for some, supplies such as a new dog bed, a crate, leash + collar thanks to all of your donations and a special thank you to The Urban Pet stores for their product donations.

We paid for some or all of the cost of a shelter redemption, which is when a pet gets lost, is picked up and brought to a shelter, but the low income family cannot afford the fees to get their pet out of the shelter, or if we didn’t pay, their pet would remain in the shelter until they could save up the money to pay the fees, taking up kennel space.

We paid for 19 senior pets to be humanely euthanized so that their families could hold them, stay with them in the room until their last breath. Paying for humane euthanasia for a terminally ill, suffering pet can be expensive, especially when someone lives on a fixed income of less than $1,000 per month.

We referred 4 legal cases and 2 dogs received new dog houses in order to comply with a notice from the Department of Animal Services.

Dogs like Lacy, a three month old puppy who was diagnosed with parvo, is alive today because one of our counselors was able to listen to Lacy’s symptoms, identify potential parvo, get a same day appointment at a partner hospital, and assist Lacy’s guardian in getting a variety of resources, including DDR to cover the cost of saving this sweet pup’s life. Without the support of our counselor, this Spanish speaking client would have been overwhelmed and it would have been unlikely that Lacy would have received the quality care that she did.

All of this work does not include the veterinary care, spay/neuter and many other resources provided to homeless […]

This is Lazy, who recently passed away peaceful, in the arms of his person Melissa.  She described her life with this special little dog in her words, “He had a great life with me. Never left my side. I got him at 4 months old and had him for 13 1/2 years. We were there for each other. He brought me out of depression.”

It was back on August 23, 2011, when we were first contacted by Melissa.  At that point in time she was homeless, did not have the money to pay for vaccines and veterinary care, but loved her dog so much.  She was referred by another DDR client Tyrone, who had been referred to DDR by his friend Robin.  Yes, we had helped Tyrone, and his beautiful “Baby” who used to ride in a cart on his bike.  They were friends with Robin, who had a dog named Dotie, such a special girl.

Over the years, Melissa reached out for resources and services not only for Lazy, but was always referring new clients with dogs and cats to our program.  Of course Lazy was neutered, and whenever Melissa and Lazy met a new friend with a pet, they promoted DDR’s spay and neuter program.  Lazy was a patient of Dr. Vasquez at North Figueroa Animal Hospital.  Lazy always received compassionate care at this animal hospital, as did the countless pets that Melissa referred.  It was at that hospital that Melissa said her final goodbye to her best friend.  Holding his body as he took his last breathe.  He was sick, tired, and ready to cross the rainbow bridge.

Not a day goes by that Melissa doesn’t miss Lazy.  Her love for him will never stop.  All the DDR volunteers and staff are honored to have been in Lazy’s life, and to know Melissa, who will always be part of the DDR family.

Losing a pet is extremely painful, you don’t have to face this alone.  24/7 grief support is available to all through Pet Compassion Careline by calling 855-245-8214

We want to share our progress with you. Here is our third quarter update (July-August-September)

A total of 1,977 pets (Dogs = 1185 + Cats = 792) received the following services through our Pet Support Space office, Drive Thru Community Pet Clinics, Pet Resource Center for the Skid Row Community, and two mobile spay/neuter clinics:

DDR paid a shelter redemption fees on behalf of a homeless/low income pet owner = 14

We continue to sponsor humane euthanasia for senior, terminally ill pets at the end of their lives. By covering the cost for this service, we prevent suffering of the pet and the owner, who often feels ashamed at not being able to help their pet at the end of life situations. = 13

Veterinary care costs continue to be the most important part of our mission. In the third quarter, we paid partial to full payment for everything from vaccinations, microchips, wellness exams, cases where the pet has an ongoing medical condition that left untreated results in daily suffering, to complicated life saving surgeries. = 940

Thanks to the cooperation from H.E.A.R.T., our counselors were able to provide access to pro bono legal services that enabled their pet to remain in their home, or move into transitional living with their owner. = 12

COVID certainly increased the number of pet owners who need access to monthly food and supplies. However, more than 35% of the pets in our food program, continue to rely on our support for the pet’s lifetime. In addition to food, we supply crates, X-pens, leashes, collars, and beds. Often, there is a requirement from a housing program that the pet owner is not able to afford, but through our Pet Support Space, any item that is required is provided. = 337

To be in our program, we require all pets to be spayed or neutered when they are old enough/healthy enough to go through surgery. The requests for spay/neuter far out number the available appointments we have access to. Thanks to the ASPCA spay/neuter clinic and working closely with Spay4LA, we were able to provide surgeries for 661 pets.

Thanks to all of YOU who continue to support of mission of providing compassionate care to pets who belong to people experiencing homelessness and low income families. We are dedicated to serving the most vulnerable populations of pet owners.

Your donation does make a difference!

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On Sunday September 12th, with the volunteer veterinarians and vet techs from the SCVMA, the dedicated DDR clinic volunteers and our friends at Spay4LA, we were able to provide vaccinations, microchips, deworming, flea & tick medication (donation from Frontline) as well as wellness exams, and spay and neuter services to 247 pets.  The 159 dogs and 50 cats and 38 spay & neuter surgeries were provided free of charge for families that are experiencing homelessness, living in transition, receiving government support, and low income pet owners, who are struggling to care for their pets’ health.   

This was our 13th drive thru pet clinic, where all pets have a reservation, which enables our counselors to connect with pet owners before the clinic, in a more meaningful way.  It’s through those first conversations that we learn about the potential addition needs and/or challenges that they are facing. Although this was a drive thru clinic, we accepted all the walk-ups who rode the bus, pushed a cart or stroller, rode their bike, took whatever measures necessary to get their pet to our clinic!

For some families, who are already familiar with our services, we are able to check in, give booster vaccines, and let them know how DDR has expanded.  In fact, it’s through our clients, who refer their friends, family members, and neighbors that we are able to connect to new clients.  As with every clinic, we see a lot of puppies and kittens, who receive their first veterinary exam, vaccination, and deworming, while volunteers discuss pet food, grooming, and training to insure that these little pets start their lives off in a positive direction that includes spay and neuter when they are old enough.

Some of the pets that come to our clinic are too sick to receive services, such as these three kittens who had an upper respiratory infection. The family who found the kittens in their backyard did not know where to turn or what to do before connecting with one of our counselors.  Once the kittens are healthy, they will all be spayed and neutered and available to adopt. Never turning someone away without resources and support, the kittens were examined and treated at our monthly mobile veterinary clinic.

The Monday, that follows every clinic, we have a mobile veterinarian park at our Pet Support Space office on West Florence in South Los Angeles, in order to provide free to low cost veterinary care that we could not provide at the drive thru clinic.  The mobile hospital even provides spay and neuter, dentistry, tumor removal and humane euthanasia for terminally ill, suffering, senior pets.  Here are some of the pets who we treated at our mobile clinic on Monday Sept. 13th

This sweet 8 […]

I want to share a special story from our last clinic that not only surprised me, but also caused me to have a good laugh.  When it started, the situation was no laughing matter.  

It was almost the end of another busy clinic when an older model Toyota pick-up pulled up to the entrance. Three large men were squeezed into the cab without an inch of breathing room.  A scared shepherd was tied to the back of the open metal truck bed.  It was a hot morning and I was already feeling the heat when I caught a glimpse of the dog in the back of the truck.   My mind snapped.  I was thinking, “Oh Hell-to-the-no, he isn’t bringing that dog into the clinic like that!”  When I jogged over to talk with the driver, I discovered that attached to the shepherd were two small dogs, cabled from an eye-hook.  My approach was not the best when I greeted him by saying, “Hey, there is no way you guys are going to drive on to this lot with three dogs tied up in the back of your truck.” I went on to explain that not only were their dogs in danger, it was a safety issue for all the other pets and people at the event.  The driver nodded and apologized. He told me he didn’t have another vehicle, didn’t have a cage, and didn’t have money to pay for vaccinations, so that’s why he tied them up like he did.  I asked him why he needed the two other men?  Why couldn’t the dogs ride inside the cab, leaving the men at home? He explained that he, being an older man, could not physically handle the dogs on his own so he brought his two sons along to help.  I acknowledged his effort, and said “Ok, I feel really bad asking you to leave, but your need to back up, go home, bring one dog at a time.”  I also mentioned that the clinic was ending soon and unless he lived really close, we probably couldn’t help him.  He told me he understood, put the truck in reverse, and off they went, sounding like the truck was running out of gas or had some serious engine problem.

Typical thinking pattern for me is to immediately regret telling someone no.  It kind of made me mad that I felt he put me in that position.  My internal conversation began with, What was he thinking? How could I help him if he was a safety hazard? My thoughts continued… he did care about his dogs, and he was really trying. No, there is no way it would have been safe.  Coming from a place of separation, me vs. them, I reverted to old thinking patterns, and convinced myself that I made the right decision.  He drove off, and I assumed that he wouldn’t come back.

About ten minutes goes by and here comes the truck again.  This […]

I wanted to share a turning point in my life, one where I felt very desperate and alone.  Back in 1995, my calico cat “Mickey” was really sick.  I had no idea what was wrong with her so I got out my Yellow Pages, looked up the closest animal hospital, and made an appointment.  As a college student, I was working full time and living in a makeshift loft in back of a storefront.  To say I a struggling student would have been an understatement.  I remember wrapping Mickey in a towel, placing her in a box, and driving to the hospital.  Upon entering the hospital, I was not greeted but was told  my carrier was inadequate. I remember feeling ashamed.  Finally, it was our turn to see the veterinarian, an older man, who asked me why I, “waited so long to seek care.”  I could feel tears in my eyes as I thought to myself, “He must think I don’t love my cat.”  Then he asked me, “Does she go outside?” I explained she was free to go through an open window and she went out during the day, but always slept with me at night.  I remember him looking down at me, quietly saying that without much money and because I didn’t care about my cat’s safety, there wasn’t much he could offer.  I also remember crying all the way back home.

July 5th is the one year anniversary of opening our Pet Support Space office on West Florence Ave in South Los Angeles. For many of you who follow DDR on social media, you already know about the more than 500+ pets to whom we provide services each month. To be exact, 3,549 cats and dogs have received services through our program designed to help no-income to low-income pet owners care for their pets. 52% of all cases our counselors see are pets that require some type of veterinary care. Therefore, one of our goals in 2021 was to expand veterinary services.

Because we have an office in a great location, I envisioned opening a scaled-down veterinary clinic in the lobby of our office that would be open once a month and then scale up to once a week. I was considering hiring a veterinarian, RVT, buying supplies, and learning about what it takes to run a clinic. I then had several discussions with Dr. Weinstein, President of the SCVMA, and, through those discussions, I became more aware of just how much I didn’t know. Because I didn’t know!

We needed a solution. Should we raise money and buy a mobile clinic? Reality set in and I decided we needed to find a partner who already owned and operated a mobile clinic. Although I am not letting go of my dream to start a clinic, the path is going to be different than what I imagined, which has always worked out well for me personally and for DDR as an organization.

Today, from 9:30am to 2:30pm, we hosted the first mobile veterinary clinic at our office and provided services to 11 pets (4 cats and 7 dogs). Here are some of the cases:

“Micha” and “Totoro” (who are a little difficult to see in their carriers in these two photos) were flea infested , were not eating, and had never been examined by a veterinarian before receiving care today.

2-year-old “Max” had been vomiting and had diarrhea. Worried that he might have an obstruction, our counselor wrote a medical voucher, and sent him to Dr. Vazquez at North Figueroa Animal Hospital where he received x-rays and might need surgery.

“Einstein” came to the mobile clinic because he was overwhelmed and not too friendly at our last drive-thru vaccination clinic. He received a rabies booster so that his owner could renew his dog license.

“Snoopy” and his person, Alex, have been in our Pet Resource Center program for Skid Row pets more than five years. Over the years, DDR made it possible for Snoopy to receive ongoing veterinary care. Alex phoned counselor Amanda when he became concerned about hots spots that had developed all over Snoopy’s little body.

11-year-old […]