Lori Weise

DogKnic: AN EVENT APPROVED BY THE CRIPS

As the founder of Downtown Dog Rescue, working in the community of South Los Angeles now for approximately ten years, I knew that when my friend and dog trainer Larry Hill and I set out to organize an event to promote pet responsibility called DogKnic at St Andrews Park in South West Los Angeles, the approval would not come from City Hall or the Department of Animal Care and Control, it would come from the gangs that control that park, to be specific, The Neighborhood 90s and the 8 Tray Gangsters, two Crip sets. The easy part was getting Anthony, the park supervisor on board to allow us to bring DogKnic, a community event that offered free spay/neuter, vaccinations and micro chipping for dogs and most important, brought together some of the most outstanding training clubs in the Greater Los Angeles area. Immediately, Best Friends, Karma Rescue, Found Animals and Amanda Foundation all came on board to support our family oriented event but we still needed approval from the gangs.

Because Larry lives in the neighborhood, has trained dogs in the community for forty years and understands the challenges of being a youth with little or no alternative to the gang lifestyle, he sat down one afternoon at the picnic area in the park with the 8 Trays, asking them for their approval. They agreed. Now, he needed to get the same approval from the 90s, they agreed. Sounds easy? Not really, despite the relationships that he had developed in the community. When we decided to use St. Andrews Park as our event site, Larry knew that without the 8 Trays and the 90s approval, the event may not be safe for everyone. He also understood the importance of respecting their territory. The complex dynamic of how that approval went down involved Larry calling his nephew, who was a member of the 8 Treys, now relocated in Oklahoma but still the shot caller for this set. Once his nephew called some of the members, explaining that his family was going to be in the park, Larry was confident, nothing violent would happen at DogKnic. Everything was coming together great, lots of people coming to the event from all parts of the City, LAPD was on board, glad to hear about a community event taking place in a park that was once better known for shootings more than people walking their dogs and children playing on swings.

Then it happened, the Thursday before our Saturday event, an LAPD officer was shot in the same neighborhood, off of Western near 70th street. The shooter was able to escape but over 72 city blocks covering nearly 800 homes were included in the police lock […]

DogKnic: AN EVENT APPROVED BY THE CRIPSadmin2017-05-24T08:44:10-07:00

LORI’s CORNER: Recognizing Excellence! Congratulations!

CONGRATULATIONS OFFICER SHATANA BACON!

Lori & DDR are very happy for you!

From the City of Los Angeles Department of Animal Services:

Animal Control Officer Recognized

By the Los Angeles City Association of Black Personnel

Photo attached of Shatana with Animal Care Technician Rodney Bingley who nominated her for the 2011 Trailblazers Award.

For the first time in the organization’s history, the Los Angeles City Association of Black Personnel has selected an Animal Control Officer as one of six outstanding Los Angeles City employees recently honored. Animal Control Officer Shatana Bacon joined five other City employees who received the 2011 Trailblazers Award for their contributions to the advancement of African Americans in city government.

Shatana was born in Los Angeles and graduated from Susan Miller Dorsey High School. She began her college studies at California State University, Los Angeles and then transferred to Cal Poly, Pomona, where she graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Animal Science. Shatana then earned her Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Shatana has been with the department for 5 1/2 years. She is married and has a one year old son, Clay.

Shatana is a solid officer who consistently and capably completes her responsibilities each month. She is focused and observant in recognizing potential animal abuse and neglect cases. She is compassionate and caring with a history of rescuing abused animals and those living in deplorable situations. She is an excellent communicator and mediator whether she is called on to speak in barking dog meetings, or to testify as a Department representative in dangerous animal hearings.

“I am so proud that Shatana was selected by the Los Angeles City Association of Black Personnel for this honor,” said General Manager Brenda Barnette. “It was a pleasure to be there to celebrate her service. We are proud to have Shatana as an important member of our Los Angeles Animal Services family.”

LORI’s CORNER: Recognizing Excellence! Congratulations!admin2017-05-24T08:44:11-07:00

LORI’s CORNER: “I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up.-MLK Jr.”

“I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land.”

December 10, 1964

Oslo, Norway – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. accepting nobel peace prize

Yesterday at our Coliseum Dog Class, the crew from the Pit Boss TV show came out to film Edgar and Queeny and the class. I was amazed at the turn out, 52 dogs came out to represent Dog Man and his wonderful work and to support Edgar. I guarantee you, the class members old and some new, did not come out to “just be on TV” each and every person and their dog(S) came out to show that we support each other and we believe, the pit bull terrier is first and foremost a dog.

Shorty & Hercules

Dogman & Clancy

When Dog Man made the turn, right, down into the Sports Arena, Clancy and I knew it was time for recall work. Wow, I thought to myself, this is going to be crazy to do off leash work with 52 dogs but as always, Dog Man was in control and everything turned out great, with help from Jordan and Debbie. Even Shorty and Hercules did some off leash recall for the show. When I looked out at the amazing group of dogs, almost all pit bulls, patiently sitting or laying down, row after row, waiting for their turn I was also so happy to see the diverse group of class members, old and young, and broad range of ethnicities, Korean, Black, Guatemalan, Mexican, Chinese, White, I’m sure that I’m missing some but this is what I saw. Everyone working together, towards one common goal, socializing their dogs, protecting the image of the pit bull terrier that is a breed of dog not different species. I like this statement on the Animal Farm Foundation website and hope that you pass this along to anyone who wants to put a label on all pit bulls. Like people, each dog is […]

LORI’s CORNER: “I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up.-MLK Jr.”admin2017-05-24T08:44:11-07:00

LORI’s CORNER/DDR PROGRAMS: CGC Test – Schedule for 1st quarter of 2011

On Sunday, we tested 25 dogs and passed 10 of which 8 were Pit bull type dogs! The Coliseum Dog Class is the only location in South Los Angeles where the community can come out once every six weeks to test for Canine Good Citizenship Certification. Mark Tipton with Angel Dogs Training evaluated each every dog for four hours! Dogs that did not pass are welcome to come back and test again. Their owners left the park with “homework” so that next time their dog will pass! CGC is one more way we are keeping more dogs in their homes and out of the Shelter System.

Come out and support our program on the following dates:

Sunday, February 20th

and

Sunday, April 3rd

We are happy to report that our rescue partner,

JANET COOK’s DAISY

from

ANGEL’S HEART DOG RESCUE

passed her CGC Test!

CONGRATULATIONS DAISY!!!!!

More photos of our class members with their CGC dogs

Congratulations to everyone!

Please RSVP to Lori@modernica.net if you want to participate in our class.

We meet every Sunday at 9:30 at the entrance to the Coliseum (park in the Hoover lot) We accept all breeds of dogs but we specialize in working […]

LORI’s CORNER/DDR PROGRAMS: CGC Test – Schedule for 1st quarter of 2011admin2017-05-24T08:44:11-07:00

THANK YOU/YEAR END MESSAGE FROM DDR FOUNDER, Lori Weise

MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A WONDERFUL 2011 to all our friends, family and supporters!!! -From DDR founder Lori Weise, volunteers and of course dogs!!!!!

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Dear Friends of Downtown Dog Rescue,

As we close out 2010 we want to thank you for your involvement in the last year; a commitment that is clear through your volunteerism and/or financial support.

We prepare for 2011 with anticipation, knowing that there are communities and concerned citizens like you supporting our various programs to help keep dogs from entering the shelter system; to continue changing community perceptions about the benefits of spay/neuter programs—and to continue saving lives in the process.

In 2010, our Compton Community Dog Clinic spayed/neutered over 700 dogs out of one park! Imagine the impact that this will have on the number of unwanted dogs entering the shelter. DDR is the only humane organization that offers free spay/neuter services on a regular basis to dog owners in the South East county area, such as Lynwood, South Gate, Paramount, and of course Compton, targeting pit bulls and other large breed dogs. (Photos from our Compton Clinic below)

We’re together in a powerful endeavor

In today’s financial climate, knowing that shelter surrender numbers in underserved communities are at an all time high is—quite honestly—difficult. But we’re in this together. We are choosing not to see this community problem as a burden, but to take it on as a challenge —and to succeed in helping various communities become responsible and knowledgeable dog owners.

So—despite the odds—our plan is to continue moving forward by continuing to expand life saving programs such as Operation Safety Net, which assists dog owners keep their dogs out of shelters. We pay for spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, dog licenses, impound fees to get dogs out of shelters, repair fences that a dog might be escaping out of, build dog runs and pay for minor medical expenses that a homeless or low income dog owner may […]

THANK YOU/YEAR END MESSAGE FROM DDR FOUNDER, Lori Weiseadmin2017-05-24T08:44:12-07:00

LORI’S CORNER: Compton Dog Owners Are Thankful For Our Free Clinic

While everyone else was getting ready for a big Thanksgiving shopping weekend, the volunteers at Downtown Dog rescue and our mobile clinic team Angel Dogs Foundation were getting ready to spay/neuter a lot of dogs at East Rancho Dominguez Park. When I scheduled the clinic date I had second thoughts, what if no one shows up because of the holiday! I was really wrong! What was I thinking? We had two back to back crazy busy days where once again, we could not service all the dog owners who wanted the free service. We also had a lot of pit bull owners that I’m happy to report, none were turned away due to lack of space or aggression, all were done! Including a couple dogs that needed to be tranquilized in their owners’ cars, what a great team of techs and a great vet!

We spayed/neutered a total of 67 dogs in a grand total of 24 hours, two back to back 12 hour days, in the freezing cold! At the end of each day, the dog owners were so thankful for the free service, including one woman who told me that she had survived cancer, was on disability and had just moved back to Compton to live with her mom who is a senior on a fixed income. Their little terrier means so much to them, they love her but they could not afford to vaccinate or spay her. They had seen our ad in the Pennysaver and like everyone else, out of work, on General Relief, Social Security, underemployed, they appreciate the fact that we were there for their pets.

We will be back in the park to finish up our year of monthly Compton Community Dog Clinics on December 11th, surpassing our original goal of 688 dogs! We estimate that we will perform over 700 spay/neuter surgeries for the dog owners in the Compton Community.

LORI’S CORNER: Compton Dog Owners Are Thankful For Our Free Clinicadmin2017-05-24T08:44:12-07:00

LORI’S CORNER: Behind every Spay/Neuter Clinic are our sponsors

Last Saturday, we had another very successful Compton Community Dog Clinic. Our day was fully booked, of course, we always have a percentage of “no-shows” so we tell people to just show up and wait. The wait list was longer than the available slots, the dogs that we were not able to accommodate will be spayed/neutered at our next double day clinics on November 27th and 28th. The clinic on the 27th is being sponsored by Beth Shaw of Yoga Fit. She generously donated to pay for one complete day of spay/neuter surgeries so that we could accommodate everyone on our list. Angel Dogs Foundation will be our clinic provider that weekend. BARK reading dogs will be coming out on the 27th and we will have lots of giveaways and prizes!

There is always at least one dog at every clinic that is the highlight of our day. On Saturday, it was “Hercules” a Boston Bull Terrier – Pit bull Terrier mix. His owner had no proof of income, spoke no English and brought her daughter with her to translate. They walked up later in the day, when we were already full for the day. Renee the vet tech saw Hercules, opened the door, spoke to the owner in Spanish, came back and said, “Dr. Mori said we can do one more dog!” A dog like Hercules would probably never be neutered if our mobile clinic was not in the park. This is what the Compton Community dog clinic is all about. We are there the second Saturday of every month at East Rancho Dominguez Park on the corner of Atlantic and Compton Blvd from 7:00 AM until 5:00 PM offering free spay/neuter surgeries to Compton dog owners. To date, we have done almost 600 surgeries and will end our year at over 700 surgeries! If you would like volunteer, donate children’s reading /picture books, have new collars, leashes, dog toys to donate, please get in touch with me. We are always in need of giveaways for our Compton Clinic.

LORI’S CORNER: Behind every Spay/Neuter Clinic are our sponsorsadmin2017-05-24T08:44:12-07:00

LORI’S CORNER: READY TO WORK

On Sunday, Cynthia Bathurst from Best Friends came out to watch our Coliseum Class and what a class she watched! 36 dogs, all walking, jumping, running and working, without any fights! This is a big deal since some of the dogs in the class have leash or dog aggression issues or both. From 9:30-11:30 or longer, every Sunday, Cornelius “Dog Man” Austin, leads us on a course that runs from Figueroa and MLK blvd over to Vermont and back to the entrance of the Coliseum. We run the dogs through what we call our “urban agility course” over cement benches, walls, relay races and so much more! It’s a great work out for all the dogs and their handlers, one that Clancy looks forward to every week.

Cynthia leads the Safe + Humane Chicago program that promotes responsible dog handling by youth leaders for the community of dog owners who may not be able to afford traditional dog training classes. She is considering bringing a chapter to Los Angeles, where some of our youth handlers, Edgar and Jordan are being considered as potential leaders for their communities. Edgar discussed the challenges that he faces on a daily basis with his dog Queenie, living in Hawthorne where he is often approached by people who want to know if he is interested in fighting Queenie. Jordan lives near Crenshaw and has raised and trained his dog Pretty since she was a puppy. His goal is to become a professional dog training. A program sponsored by Best Friends in communities like South LA, Compton, Watts, Hawthorne, possibly Inglewood and Carson would do so much to prevent dog fighting, irresponsible breeding and animal cruelty! Stay tuned for more exciting information!

DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE FLYER ABOUT PIT BULL SCHOOL

LORI’S CORNER: READY TO WORKadmin2017-05-24T08:44:12-07:00

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