Adopt a pet and save a life
Adopt a pet and save a life
The Los Angeles West Valley Animal Shelter in Chatsworth is home to 150 cats, more than 200 dogs, 20 rabbits, chickens, and one ferret which are actually illegal to own in California.
One of the biggest concerns for West Valley Animal Shelter is getting the public to spay neuter and their cats and dogs. Animal Care Technician Supervisor, Shawn Colon said, “There are too many animals out there in the world and not enough responsible people to take care of them.”
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council of Los Angeles have made spaying and neutering a law. The law has been in effect since February 26, 2008. This was done to promote educational awareness and to help reduce euthanizations each year.
The Humane Society of the U.S. estimates that six to eight million homeless animals’ enter the shelters, half get adopted, and the other half gets euthanized. Colon says “euthanization depends mostly on shelter and location.” Our cats are mostly the ones that unfortunately get euthanized because they have not been socialized and live on the streets. Those cats can never be adopted because they are wild, and that’s a problem we see daily said Colon.
To help promote adoptions animal shelters have lowered the cost to adopt. To adopt a dog is $122 dollars, a cat is $76 dollars. Adoption includes spaying females or neutering males, a microchip, pet license for dogs only, and vaccinations.
“Finding good homes for animals is the most rewarding part of my job” said, Colon. Animal shelters are one way to look at animals and adopt one. Another way to search for a pet or a lost animal is through petfinder.com because you can see pictures and the location of the animals without having to travel to every shelter location.
Colon said, “Animal shelters survive off of the city’s budget, adoptions, and mostly from the public who donates blankets, towels, and dog treats. People are really generous…one man came in with his daughter and felt sorry for the animals and donated $1,000 right away.”
To find out more about a shelter or to donate visit laanimlaservices.com.
