LORI’S CORNER: DOWNTOWN DOG RESCUE S.O.S. TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE
Last week, writer and friend of Downtown Dog Rescue, Ryan Vaillancourt, wrote and posted and article on the Downtown New blog about Downtown Dog Rescue losing our home after 14 years. LA DOWNTOWN NEWS LINK TO ARTICLE This is a true but sad fact. My company, Modernica, which has generously donated the land where our kennel is located, in back of our wood shop, will no longer be available because Modernica is moving to Vernon. I’ve known about this move for several months and applied for a kennel permit with the City of Vernon. I was denied, no kennels of any type are allowed, despite several letters of recommendation and an outline of the services and programs that we provide the communities that we serve.
While we are not in a panic about where to move 20 rescue dogs, we do need to consider the long term future of DDR and we ask for your help. My dream has always been to create a true rehabilitation center where the DDR rescue dogs could live and play, getting ready to be adopted, not very different than what we have now, but place where we could expand our existing programs. What would be different is that we would be located in the community that we primarily serve, South Central Los Angeles. Dog owners could rely on us for more, including a puppy boot camp, puppy vaccination clinic, more mobile spay/neuter clinics and dog training to mention a few of the services that would reduce unwanted litters of puppies, put adoption and re-homing into the hearts and minds of dog owners who might otherwise “throw their dogs away” while promoting owner retention, all aspects of our Operation Safety. We would be taking it up a notch. Part of the reason for wanting this rehabilitation center is to provide job training and jobs for the youth and the unemployed and underemployed in SLA, Watts and Compton. Many young men who love […]
FRIDAY SHOUT OUTS – Giving Thanks!
Helping Robin give thanks is our OPERATION SAFETY NET pittie mascot, SIMON!
DDR YOUTH MATTER: Nishi Girl Scout Troop 12135 “OPERATION SAVE THE HOMELESS PETS”
by Irene Soriano Brightman
LORI’S CORNER: Monthly Spay/Neuter Clinic – The Community Responds
Each dog is also vaccinated and micro chipped all at no charge. Ivania and I signed up an additional 50 people, some with two, three and four dogs at home that need the free service at a future clinic. There is always a waiting list and we always end up turning people away which proves my theory, MOST dog owners want to do the “right thing”. They want to spay/neuter and vaccinate their dogs. They don’t always know what the surgery is called but they know, they don’t want any litters of puppies.
Too many people in power, the same people who make the financial decisions for city, county, state budgets believe that “poor dog owners” in areas like Compton don’t care about getting their dogs fixed and that they want puppies to make money. When in reality, most dog owners don’t want puppies, even if their dog has an accidental litter. They either don’t know where to get an affordable surgery or have poor information on spay/neuter. I can’t tell you how many people think that their dog is too young to have puppies at a year, or they are worried that their dog’s personality will change overnight after the surgery, or that their dog might die while being sterilized. Some dog owners are so nervous that they wait with us in the park while their pet is being sterilized.
LORI’S CORNER: Downtown Dog Rescue Kennels
FRIDAY SHOUT OUTS – Giving Thanks!
So, our newly adopted pup CHOCOLATE!!!!!! will do the honors this week!
Special message from Lori Weise
Thank You to the Amanda Foundation, Retriever Rescue, Best Friends Animal Society, Heigl Foundation and Janet Cook from Angel’s Heart Dog Rescue and all of the foster people and adopters who came out last week to help us rescue 41 dogs out of the 61st Street kennel in a little over two weeks.
A monumental challenge for a small organization like Downtown Dog Rescue but we did it, with a lot of support from our volunteers and friends who came out to support us, transport, bathe, and take lots of dogs out to adoption.
We would like to extend a special thank you to Cornelius, “Dog Man” Austin who helped me assess over 30 dogs last Saturday at the 61st Street kennel.
Thanks to Cheryl Seaberg Elliott for bringing donuts!
A special thanks to the transport/bathing crew:
Robin, Billy, Debbie, Giovanni, Christina, Linda & Cheryl
A special thanks to our Volunteer SHOW Team at PETCO:
Sandy Dragotis: Volunteer and Adoption Coordinator
Show Team: Lezle, Leyla, Teresa, Effie, Linda, Christina, Jill, Jill’s Friend, Cindy, Rachel! (Jill – please send us her name!!!)
Photographer: Kathryn Hall and baby Hall!