PAWS Los Angeles » South Park

PAWS/LA participates in Woofstock 90210

melaniel — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:08:30 +0000

On Sunday March 13, 2011, PAWS/LA participated in Woofstock 90210 in Beverly Hills.

PAWS/LA raised community awareness for its services with a volunteer booth generously donated by event producers, Mary Ruth Koogler and Cindy Brynan. Raymundo Baltazar Volunteer/Outreach Coordinator spear headed PAWS/LA’s visibility joined by volunteers Corrine Corry, Judy French, Debby Dykes and Laura Foster for the day of fun and festivities.

*The pet-friendly event gives dog owners and their canine companions the opportunity to get out and mingle with other dogs and their owners, according to senior recreation supervisor Cindy Brynan, one of the event’s organizers.

“We have a lot of dog lovers here in Beverly Hills, but no dog park,” Brynan said. “Events like this get the community out with their pets so that two and four-legged friends can meet.”

A pet parade gave the most trend-setting dogs a chance to strut their stuff, with awards presented in three categories.

Miss Coco Puff, a Chiweenie—half Chihuahua and half dachshund—dressed casually in designer jean overalls and a pink sweater with matching pink accessories, including high tops, a necklace and sunglasses. The fashionable pooch took home the award for Best BH Bling, while Sharon Powell’s dog, Teddie, won for the Most Hippie-like outfit. Tall, blonde Lynn Griffith and her tall, blond Australian shepherd, Ricky, won for Most Owner-Pet Look-Alikes.

With almost 50 vendors offering such items as T-shirts and faux fur coats, even dogs that didn’t arrive in their Sunday best had plenty of outfit options to choose from that were available for purchase during the event.

Many vendors offered healthy food options for dogs, while one sold bottles of Bowser Beer, a nonalcoholic beer for dogs who like to walk on the wild side. Of course, each bottle includes a warning for dogs to drink responsibly.Entertainment for the event was provided by Muttley Crew, which featured fast running agility dogs maneuvering through an obstacle course and high flying disc dogs jumping into the air to catch Frisbee-type disks.

“We call it Muttley Crew because we have all kinds of dogs in our show, from a papillon to a Great Dane,” said owner Chris Cabral. “Plus, 90 percent of our dogs are from shelters.”

Woofstock 90210 was a fabulous time for people and their four legged friends!

*Partially reprinted from Beverly Hills Patch.

Volunteer Profile – Bea Goldman

melaniel — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 22:52:50 +0000

Bea Goldman, LCSW, volunteers her time with PAWS/LA clients who are in danger of being denied housing because of their animal companions. Bea works with clients to evaluate their mental and physical well being due to the threat of forced separation from their pets. Bea is dedicated to keeping clients and their animal companions together based on her experience of the vital importance of the healing bond of a companion animal.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Bea attended UCLA earning both a Bachelors and Masters degree. She received a second Masters degree from Syracuse University and spent the next 30 years as a University Professor in Ithaca, New York.

Bea’s personal life is full, she has a grown son, a wonderful daughter-in-law and a beautiful, 2 ½ year old granddaughter, who is the apple of her eye. Bea’s much-loved dog, Max, passed away in July and she is now searching for a new canine companion. As her friend told her, “You can fill the space, but you can’t replace.”

Bea didn’t get her first dog until she was 50. As a five year old, she was bitten by a dog and from that time on she was leery of dogs and didn’t consider having one of her own. Then, her friend got a Husky and Bea couldn’t help but fall in love. She realized the joy and benefit of a having canine friend and added a new member to her family.

In her spare time, Bea loves to cook, take long walks and read. In addition to her volunteer work with PAWS/LA, Bea works as a consultant at an Adult Day Health Care Center in Hollywood, and also has her own private therapy practice.

Bea has been with PAWS/LA as a volunteer for approximately four years, and feels privileged to be able to work with our clients who face great adversity with enormous grace. “The work that PAWS/LA does for people who live with major stress in their lives is incredibly important, and their companion animal is often their one constant source of support and affection.” If a fee is involved for her evaluations, Bea donates that fee to PAWS/LA. Bea is gratified that she is able to be a part of an organization that helps so many people.

Volunteer Profile – Erica Pezzillo

melaniel — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 23:14:24 +0000

Erica Pezzillo first began volunteering for PAWS/LA 15 years ago while recuperating from an illness. Unable to go back to work, she began looking for a meaningful way to contribute her time.

PAWS/LA was a great match for Erica since animals have always been an important part of her life. As a young girl, stray cats seemed to gravitate towards her, becoming loved, cared for companions.

As an adult Erica has experienced the healing power of companion animals. Several years ago, she was hospitalized for a chronic condition requiring an extended hospital stay. Erica’s recovery time rapidly improved when her then-boyfriend snuck her cat into see her every day. Her spirit looked forward daily to these visits.

Erica currently lives with her husband in downtown LA’s South Park area, not far from the PAWS/LA office. Her four-legged family consists of two dogs, one cat, a turtle and a “mini school” of tropical fish. When not volunteering, you can find her happily walking her two dogs Boo and Luca, or baking tempting culinary delights and making jewelry. Anyone who has tasted her wonderful baked goods will attest to the fact that she’s one very talented woman.

PETCO Pet Food Drive benefits PAWS/LA

melaniel — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:17:18 +0000

PAWS/LA is thrilled to be a beneficiary of PetCo Foundation’s Pet Food Bank Collection Program that launched in PetCo stores nationwide late May 2010. Pet food collected at designated Los Angeles area stores will be donated to PAWS/LA in support of our Pet Food Bank for the companion animals of low-income senior and disabled animal guardians. PAWS/LA’s pet food bank distributes free pet food to more than 400 clients and their companion animals every month. Currently, we are in particular need of canned dog and cat food.

According to PetCo, the goal of this program is to help prevent pet abandonment by supporting pet parents in economic stress through collecting pet food and supplies for local pet food banks.

“Today, more than ever, pets are part of the family; and we don’t believe anyone should have to go through the pain of giving them up because of financial distress,” said Paul Jolly, the PETCO Foundation’s Executive Director. “With PETCO stores across the country visited every day by people who love and care for pets, we saw a huge opportunity to help prevent people from having to make such a heart-wrenching choice.”

Paul Jolly’s sentiment echo’s PAWS/LA’s mission to preserve the loving bond between people and their companion animals.

The pet food bank bins are clearly marked and designated for pet food donations/supplies and serve as a collection point for customers to drop off food or cat litter donations brought from home or purchased during their shopping trip.

Pet Food Collection bins at the following Pet Co. locations are designated specifically for PAWS/LA:

12800 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604-2367
818-506-6416

5347 S. Sepulveda Blvd
Culver City, CA 90230
310-390-7255

200 S. La Brea Ave Ste C
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-934-8444

1475 S. Robertson Blvd.
LA, CA 90035
310-282-8166

508 N. Doheny Dr.
West Hollywood, CA 90048
310-275-6012

(If you would like to contribute to the Pet Food Bank and these stores are not conveniently located for you, your cash donation for the purchase of food is greatly appreciated. Click here to donate.)

The program is an extension of the Pet Co. Foundation’s existing “We Are Family, Too” fund, which already provides seed funding for animal welfare programs to help pet parents who are in financial crisis, including food banks, product donations, referral lists of pet friendly housing, short term foster care and veterinarian services. While the Foundation also has programs in place to help feed pets in shelters, this program is specifically designed to support local food banks and families in financial crisis.

For more information about donating to the PAWS/LA Pet Food Bank, please contact Steve Wayland at 213.741.1950 x 114 or swayland@pawsla.org.

With the generous support and donations of Pet Co customers, PAWS/LA can continue fill its food bank with much needed food and supplies for its clients and the animals they love.

PAWS/LA and the 4th Annual Great Urban Race

melaniel — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 19:01:36 +0000

On Sunday, March 20, 2010 PAWS/LA participated as a destination along the fourth annual Los Angeles Great Urban Race course.

The event called for the nearly 700 racers to navigate the streets of downtown Los Angeles and West Hollywood as quickly as possible using only public transportation. Split into teams of two, the pairs solved clues and completed twelve challenges before they crossed the finish line. One of the clues led participants to the PAWS/LA Food Bank.

It read: “PAWS LA is dedicated to preserving the loving bond between people and their companion animals. Make your way to the parking lot behind PAWS on W. 12th St. between S. Grand Ave. and S. Hope St. and get ready to lend a helping hand! Each teammate must fill one five-pound bag of either dog food OR kitty litter using the materials provided. Once full, seal the bags and place them on the rolling cart.”

For five hours, teams stopped by the food bank to scoop pet supplies. PAWS/LA volunteers directed racers to one of ten stations that were pre-setup with the packaging materials. Alan Campbell was the PAWS/LA lead volunteer. A slew of volunteers from Kohl’s, a major GUR sponsor, also showed up. By the end of the day, at least 200 bags of litter and 300 bags of food were filled.

“This is an event we want to do again. We got a lot done and had fun at the same time,” Scott Dunlevie, the PAWS/LA Client Services Coordinator said. “We really enjoyed participating.

While at the PAWS/LA Food Bank, many racers also checked off another task on their list. One of the other clues was to “take a picture of six people total making a 3-2-1 human pyramid” using only teammates and strangers. Dunlevie explained that the PAWS volunteers went above and beyond, and were willing to build the stunt with teams. A piece of cardboard was put on the concrete because volunteers got down on their hands and knees so many times during the day for the challenge.

Some of the clues were obviously straightforward, but others were more of a puzzle. Examples included: “My birth month’s flower is the violet. My birth date is the smallest composite number. My birth year is the same year the movie “American Graffiti” was released. Take a picture of all teammates in front of my statue in Los Angeles.” Another read: “Make your way to the photography shop in West Hollywood that boasts the slogan ‘It’s where the pros go’ and prepare for your GUR mugshot!”

After completing all 12 clues, team “Now You Know” was declared the winner of the race for finishing in a mere two hours and eight minutes. To keep things fun, there was also a costume contest. Team “Happy Birthday Felicia” won dressed as a birthday cake and a piñata.

The Great Urban Race is held in major cities across the country to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and other local charities. The top 25 teams from each city qualify to compete in the National Championship in Las Vegas later this year.

PAWS/LA Moves to Downtown Los Angeles

melaniel — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:34:59 +0000

In October 2009, PAWS/LA moved their former Hollywood offices and food bank to a new, larger facility in downtown Los Angeles.

Located in the growing South Park area of downtown, near the Staples Center, the move allows easier access for the clients of PAWS/LA who use public transportation or major freeway systems.

The move to downtown will grant the agency several opportunities for growth helping to further the mission of creating solutions for disenfranchised animal guardians throughout Los Angeles County who are facing the physical and financial challenges of caring for their companion animals.