About Lori Weise

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So far Lori Weise has created 31 blog entries.

SAVE THE DATE! October 30th

Join us for the return of our Bark for Life Fundraiser Event!

Save the date, October 30th from 10am to 3pm, Studio 4 Salon in Newport Beach, will be hosting a Halloween Costume fundraising event for Downtown Dog Rescue.  100% of the donations will go directly to DDR to support our work in the community, increasing access to spay and neuter, and rescuing overlooked dogs for City and County shelters.  Adoptable DDR dogs will be at the event, all dressed up, and ready to go to their forever homes.  Come out and spend a special day with all of the DDR volunteers and supporters, as we raise funds to support our work in 2023! We look forward to seeing you and your dog at the event!

RSVP to Lori@Downtowndogrescue.org

Family Crisis

10 year old Shatto’s person, an elderly and disabled woman living on a fixed income, was feeling desperate and overwhelmed when she spoke to counselor Amanda.  She knew that she would not be able to afford an exam, tests, and treatment for whatever was making her dog sick.  Hoping Shatto would get better with rest, three weeks went by, but Shatto became weaker, losing so much weight, she looked like she might die.  Amanda listened, and assured her that she could help, but first, she would need to apply for a new program that DDR is part of called  AlignCare  Because she was receiving government benefits, and was means tested as living at our below the poverty line, she immediately qualified for this incredible benefit.

Shatto was so sick, a same day appointment was scheduled at Los Angeles Veterinary Center. Dr. Ramirez diagnosed her as having pyometra.  She needed an emergency surgery but not before she had a blood transfusion.  The following day, still weak, but stable enough to have surgery, the quote for all the care and hospitalization came to $1,913.32 which is a discounted rate that AlignCare veterinarians agree to as being part of the program.  AlignCare pays 80%, leaving Shatto’s family to pay $382.66, (20% of the quote).  Grateful for all the support, grateful that Shatto’s life would be saved, she agreed to pay the 20%.  In cases where the person cannot pay all or even any of the 20% co-pay, DDR pays on their behalf so that no pet ever suffers and or dies because the family could not come up with their co-pay.

This was a complicated and intense case, therefore Amanda had a lot of contact with Shatto’s family, and learned that she was never spayed, even though she had been required by Animal Control to get this done.  Apparently, some months back, there was a horrible situation where the police responded to a call for help at Shatto’s home. In the excitement and stress of the situation, she was accidentally shot by an officer.  When she had surgery to remove the bullet, she could not be spayed because she almost died.  Months later, for whatever reason, her family never followed through.  A lack of transportation, a lack of resources, and or family dynamics, potentially all played a part in getting Shatto to the point to where she was almost dead, again.

As counselors, our role is not to judge, or dwell on the mistakes of the past.  We get the facts, and try our best to understand the needs of each client and their pet(s).  When it came time for Shatto to leave the hospital, staying neutral and not judging became a real challenge for Amanda, as it would for any counselors who thought that a dog had been abandoned at the hospital.  Calling repeatedly, no answer, no response to texts, the veterinarian also tried reaching out to see when […]

Nina

Nina was brought to the South LA Shelter by a young man, in his early twenties, when both of our SIP counselors, Amanda and Yesenia, were on site. He was upset, felt overwhelmed, and really didn’t want to surrender his 7 month old puppy, who had been hit by a car. When she was hit, he did everything he could to save her, including taking her to the emergency hospital where Nina received an unsuccessful orthopedic surgery. He did end up taking her home, only to bring her back to the shelter a week later, but instead of surrendering her to the shelter, he surrendered Nina to DDR.

It would be easy to post sad or graphic photos of Nina, before and after her leg amputation in order to fundraise. We believe that by doing so, we would be silently promoting that she was neglected by someone who did not follow through with all of her necessary care that resulted in her losing her hind leg, but that does not tell the truth.

The truth is that she was loved, he had rescued her from a “bad situation” four months prior. He lived with his family in a second floor apartment, and worked full time. He tried, and he sincerely wanted the best for Nina, but his best wasn’t enough. Not during this point in his life. Judging would be easy to do, but attempting to understand the perspective of the young man, who tried his best is important. We have all fallen, failed, regretted an action, wished we could have done better.

 

Accepting this fact was difficult for him, as it was for our counselor Amanda, who had been his main point of contact. When Nina was picked up at the shelter a week later, he was crying, it was emotional. Reality was her leg was dead and needed to be removed immediately. As a counselor, you may intellectually understand that you are making a good decision, but watching someone experiencing a loss is still painful. We even question what’s best for the pet, never assuming that just because we are a rescue organization, we are superior and all know what’s best for a puppy like Nina.

How we as individuals experience cases like this often involves how closely we identify with the client, and the experience that the client is going through with their pet. If we have experienced a similar loss and have been traumatized, it’s inevitable that our understanding of a case can be very personal.

“Trauma is the invisible force that shapes our lives. It shapes the way we live, the way we love and the way we make sense of the world. It is the root of our deepest wounds.” Dr. Gabor Maté

Thanks to a wonderful medical foster, Noemi, Nina […]

The Alameda Project – DDR’s Newest Outreach Area

With the start of a new year, we identified a new outreach area that we are calling “The Alameda Project” Located in an industrial area where Florence & Firestone intersects with Watts, for blocks there are homeless people living in RVs, some running, others are more of a shell for the resident and their pet to live in. While others live in makeshift tents made of pallets and other abandoned building materials. Huge heaps of trash take up two or three car spaces on the streets. This is definitely a place where no one should live, yet too many call home. It’s a dangerous existence for both the pets and the people who love them.

 

On February 8th, after hiring an additional outreach counselor, Gerardo, who would serve as the point of contact for this targeted project, and a general map of the area that we believed needed services, he drove up and down the streets lined with RVs. Full of pet food and other supplies, Gerardo began making contact with some of the people, who he would discover had pets, and lots of them. Most of the people with pets were suspicious at first, but when they had a conversation with Gerardo, and understood what we offered, everyone on that first day was grateful for the support and resources. He made a promise to come back several times a week for an extended period of time.

“Husky” and his father dog “D.O.G” after surgery

Three littles from one family on their way to get neutered

Gerardo went back, day after day, to form the relationships that would result in the following services that DDR provided in approximately 45 days.

Spays and Neuters = 8 surgeries all dogs
D.O.G. and his son Husky were the first two to be neutered. Followed by three male chihuahuas who all live with the same family, followed by another family of dogs; one male, and two females, of which one was in heat, and the other was pregnant.
Gerardo picks up the dogs in the morning, drives them in the DDR van to the animal hospitals, drops off, then picks up and delivers them back to their families at the end of the day. Sometimes, a very long day, as late as 10:30PM  DDR pays for all veterinary care.

Vaccinating pets on the street

Vaccinations – 46 cats and dogs

First we invited everyone living in their RVs to come to our free drive thru clinic, but when no one showed up, we decided to bring the clinic to the people with pets in their vehicles. We hired a veterinarian to vaccinate, deworm, and apply flea and tick meds. This was an opportunity to get all the puppies and kittens their first set […]

2021 Year End Service Report

2021 Service Report
Programs:
Pet Support Space – South Los Angeles
SCVMA Community Clinics
Pet Resource Center – Skid Row

Total number of pets served = 7035
Dogs – 64% 4518 Cats – 36% 2511 Reptiles – 0% 6

Shelter Redemptions = 63 pets – 1% of all cases
Humane Euthanasia services = 56 pets – 1% of all cases
Veterinary Expenses = 3469 pets – 49% of all cases
Pet Deposits / ESA = 25 people – 0% of all cases
Food & Supplies = 1250 pets – 18% of all cases
Spay & Neuter surgeries = 2171 pets – 31% of all cases

Pet Support Space  Office open Monday – Saturday 10am to 2pm – 7 days a week phone / text/ email
34% required assistance with spay/neuter
28% veterinary care
12% clients who identified as homeless
6% clients working with a social worker or case manager
Age range of clients
60% 30-49 years old 20% 50-69 years old 13% 18-29 years old
Employment status
27% working full time 33% part time 38% unemployed 2% disabled
58% receiving government assistance
Time living with their pet
61% 1-10 years 23% 1-11 months 14% more than 10 years
29% pet had never received veterinary care
71% acquired the pet from family or friends 17% Found as a stray
6% shelter adoption 3% had a litter in their home.

Community Wellness SCVMA Clinics Drive thru clinic once a month – second Sunday of each month
2,498 pets (1,1670 dogs and 828 cats)

Pet Resource Center Skid Row Services offered at the corner of Central Ave and Industrial Ave Once a month 10am-1pm
367 clients active on a monthly basis for more than six months
(249 dogs and 118 cats)
Total number of clients enrolled in PRC = 2783 people living in transitional or supportive housing or experiencing homelessness
54% required assistance with spay/neuter
15% required assistance for vaccinations 13% monthly food program 12% assistance for major veterinary care – 6% licensing/fees paid/deposits paid
32% reported being homeless
34% reported working with a social worker or case manager
Age of clients served
41% 50-69 years old 40% 30-49 years old 15% 18-29 years old
Employment status
70% unemployed 14% part-time employed 10% disabled
61% were receiving government assistance
Time living with their pet
42% lived with pet 1-10 years + 35% 1-11 months 19% less than one month
41% pet had never received veterinary care
60% acquired the pet from family or friends 19% Found as a stray 11% shelter

Total number of program staff
full time paid – 1 part time paid – 3 unpaid full time – 1

Total Budget for all programs : $295,163 (average cost per pet $41.95)


Total number of pets served since program began
April 2013 – December 2021 =
22, 415 pets

October Pet Resource Center – Skid Row Community

This month, we were back on the corner of Central Ave and Industrial Street, with our counselors and the Los Angeles County Veterinarian team, offering supplies and services to pets who live in the Skid Row community. A total of 75 pets received services (40 dogs + 35 cats) The line starts to form at 9:00 am, when clients and volunteers unload the supplies and set up our tables, for our official start time of 10:00 am. Pet owners arrive throughout the morning, receiving monthly food supplies, veterinary vouchers, flea and tick prevention, and an opportunity to check in with our counselors.

Checking in means more than “getting free stuff”, all of our counselors are there to support the pet owners just as much as their pets. This involves doing more listening than talking. Sometimes, the topic has nothing whatsoever to do with pets. Some people drop in because they are feeling sad, depressed, may have lost a loved one, whether two legged or four legged, and need a compassionate person to “be there for them”.

All of the services that we offer, we offer in a manner of trauma informed care. Always remembering that these three factors impact our clients’ lives, and lead to stress; uncertainty, lack of information, and a loss of control. By explaining options, offering choices, taking time to explain the information helps our clients feel more in control of their pets’ lives and in turn their own lives. In addition to promoting healthy pets, the benefits of spay and neuter, our goal is to always help our clients see that they have options, they have our ongoing support because we all need help sometimes.

The Universe Has A Plan

 

I decided to write this blog post in order to share a particularly cool story, but also to remind me that when I get out of my own way and allow the Universe to put a plan into motion, things work out really great!

Trusting in a Higher Power, God, The Universe is something that is fairly new to me.  For many years, I guess you could say that I was faking it – meaning, I was saying that I trusted a power greater than myself, but I really didn’t.  I was that person who always had to feel like she was in control, even when life seemed out of control.  I was always that person who had a back-up plan for her back-up plan.

Fast forward to about a month ago:  lying in bed surrounded by dogs, reading emails on my iPhone, one message catches my attention.  It began with a plea for help, but didn’t stop there.  In great detail, she was honest about her living situation, her love for her dogs, and what she was willing to do to get help.  The part that really irked me was her detailed description of the type of food she was looking for in a donation. She only would accept vegan dog food. Reading this, my initial thought was, “Well, if I couldn’t afford to feed my dogs regularly, would I really be concerned about the dog food being vegan?” No, no I would not.

The email went on for a couple of paragraphs, she seemed like a nice lady but she was out of our service area and she seemed too organized and thoughtful.  Someone would help her because she was resourceful – clearly not a DDR type of client.  I thanked her for her message, explained that “we never get vegan dog food”, and wished her well.

The very next day, I received an email from Diana at PETA, who was writing because she had a big donation of vegan dog food to share with DDR if we needed it.  I was stunned! Yes, of course we will take it, I replied.  We met up later in the week and unloaded cases of vegan dog food kibble.  I had to acknowledge this was more than a coincidence.  I emailed the vegan dog food lady, so excited to let her know I had food for her dogs.  I  never got an email back.

About a week later, I received a text from her.  It went something like this:  Sorry for the late reply. It is difficult for me to read my emails because I am not living in a permanent home.  This pet owner had been living in her car with her three dogs, using the Safe Parking program until she was recently accepted into the Project Room Key program.  Her situation of  homelessness was a result of being a domestic violence survivor who lost it all when she left her abusive situation.  That is about all that […]

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