Los Angeles, CA

And with that, we’re back from Christmas. (!) I know this isn’t really LA news, but this piece of news is all over the place nationwide, and it means an extra something to me because I used to live by the zoo and would walk there all the time on free zoo day (the first Wednesday of the month). The San Francisco Zoo is open 365 days a year, and yesterday, on Christmas Day, a tiger somehow escaped from its habitat and roamed the east side of the park, killing one man in front of the enclosure and wandering to a cafe 50 yards away before attacking two more men.

This happened shortly after closing, which is why more people weren’t hurt by the tiger, and when police arrived on the scene they found the tiger still mauling one of the three victims. The tiger looked up at the police and started to go back to her victim when they opened fire and killed the animal with their handguns. This Siberian tiger, named Tatiana, had actually mauled a keeper last year at this time. The zoo had daily feedings of the big cats at 2pm every day, and while a female keeper was throwing meat to the animals, Tatiana reached through the bars and snagged the woman’s arm, trying to pull her into the enclosure. This happened in front of a large crowd, including lots of children, and while the woman was eventually pulled away, she did lose her arm.

Today the zoo is closed while the police and zoo officials further examine what happened, but I have the feeling that at the end of it all it’ll boil down to human error of some sort. Initially reports said that all four tigers had escaped, which leads me to think someone saw an open door somewhere. All the same, you can read more here through the LA Times, and read the updates as they’ve happened on Metroblogging San Francisco.

Not the band Gorillaz, I mean the animal gorillas. And they’re back at the L.A. Zoo after an extended trip to the Denver Zoo! They were originally sent away because their habitat was being remodeled, and though it was only supposed to take a year, the usual red tape and bureaucracy made a one year project into a four and a half year project. But now they’re home again, with new two year old Glenda in tow, to their awesome habitat.

The gorillas new home cost $19 million — more than it costs to build a home in Beverly Hills, according to the L.A. Times — is much better suited to gorillas than any other habitat they’ve had before at the zoo. Set higher than the walkways, the gorillas can look down on us watching them like they usually would in the wild, since they don’t ever live in pits like they do at the zoo. They have ficus trees to snack on, as well as a pomegranate tree and a papaya tree for fresh fruits. They get a third of an acre of grass, which I bet they’ve never had before, and even a hidden retreat so they can hid from us gawkers any time they want.

This habitat was the first of many that’s being rebuilt by the zoo. A space for golden monkeys from China is currently being built, as well as a new elephant habitat. The Campo Gorilla Reserve just opened yesterday, so get down there and meet Glenda and her family before they get mobbed!

You can read more about Glenda and her new home through the L.A. Times, and meet the gorillas through the L.A. Zoo website.

Glenda

If you want to want to learn more about adopting a pet or have a pet service to promote, pick up a copy of The Pet Press. This local publication has been around since 1999. It features articles on pet care tips, runs local pet service ads and lists all major pet adoption agencies and events around Los Angeles. It was in the pages of The Pet Press that I found out about the Boxer Rescue where I adopted Emmy. Needless to say I’ve been a big fan of the publication ever since.

That’s it for pet week. Have a good weekend, everyone!

Em and I visit Tailwashers about once a month for all her grooming needs.

For less than 30 dollars you get your own wash station to wash and dry, shampoos, conditioners, towels…they even give you an apron.  For an extra fee, dogs can also get their toenails clipped.

If you don’t have time to DIY, Tailwashers offers full grooming services.

Tailwashers

1929 N. Bronson Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90068

A wonderful lady named Yvette Millman is Emmy’s day buddy Monday through Friday. She comes by for 15 minutes in the middle of the day for walks and loving attention.

Emmy adores her and frankly so do I for her competitive rates ($13 for 15 minutes) and ease of service. I don’t have to keep a credit card on file or deal with customer reps on the phone. She leaves a bill at the end of the week, I leave her a check on my coffee table Monday morning. That’s it.

If you live in or around Los Feliz, I highly recommend Yvette for all your pet sitting needs.

Roll Over Rover Pet Services

(323)660-8584

This is my beloved boxer, Emmy. I adopted her from the The Boxer Rescue L.A. in 2001. She’s the light of my life. Having her playful exuberance around me everyday has helped me to stay sane through all the craziness of L.A. life.

Emmy’s stats:

Favorite foods: tuna, peanut butter….okay, basically everything.

Favorite toys: A beaten up Santa Claus plush toy that I got her one year for Christmas.

Favorite people: everyone

Favorite pastimes: cuddling on the couch, getting in trouble, napping, rolling down grassy hills, licking

Emmy has followed me as I’ve moved all over Los Angeles for the past 7 years and as a result has been through several vets during this time. The most amazing of them all was Dr. Palmquist at Centinela Animal Hospital in Inglewood. In 2004, Emmy came down with Lymphoma. She received chemotherapy from the Veterinary Cancer Group, another amazing vet clinic that specializes in caring for dogs and cats with all types of cancer. With the chemo and Dr. Palmquist’s care philosophy that incorporated holistic solutions with modern day vet medicine, Emmy has been in remission for the last 3 years. I’m truly lucky that my little Em’s been healthy for so long and I owe much of it to Dr. Palmquist.

Centinela Animal Hospital

721 Centinela Ave.

Inglewood, CA 90302

(310)673-1910

Veterinary Cancer Group

1044 S. Robertson Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90035

(310)278-8274

It’s dog and cat month at Upright Citizens Brigade which means there will be furry animals sharing the stage with the comedians who own them throughout the month of August.

I thought this was an opportune time to make this pet care week here at the Los Angeles blog. Stay tuned for posts throughout the week on my favorite pet services around L.A…

Feeling the need to gallop? Dude’s Ranch is a non-profit, 501(c)3 horse rescue, situated on a private ranch in Los Angeles County (Malibu and Acton, CA). If you’ve been debating on the horsepower of that Mustang convertible, lease a Dude’s Ranch horse instead (full or co-lease programs), which I’m sure will be more gratifying.

Offering private and couple riding lessons (Loubies or low-rider Levis not recommended), Dude’s Ranch also has the, “Non Crash, Crash Course for Actors”, for the thespian who lands their first spurring role and is in need of saddle lessons.

Call 818-497-7468 or 661-269-2473 to book a Sunset Ride or other majestic tours. All proceeds from the non-profit organization are for the upkeep, medical expenses, retraining and placement of their rescue horses.

Tomorrow, Best Friends Network wants you to bring your canine friend to the LA Riptide vs. San Diego Drago Lacrosse Game so you can get in for FREE!

Date: Saturday, July 28th
Location: Home Depot Center
18400 Avalon Blvd
Carson, CA 90746

The Dog Event starts at 5:30 pm, with the game following at 7:30 pm. But you have to register prior to the event. Each admission is priced at $5 per ticket with one owner per dog FREE. Dog ticket sales, optional donations and $5 of all dog owners’ guest’s sales for the East side of the Home Depot Stadium will be donated to Best Friends Animal Society.

Children are our most valuable resource. So when one becomes ill, all conceivable measures should be taken to restore their vibrancy. At Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, a volunteer team called Love on 4 Paws brings out the big dogs, little pups, and cuddly cats, all with one thing besides wet licks in common; to assist in the healing process.

Love on 4 Paws is an animal assisted therapy program, whose trained volunteers commit to a minimum of three monthly visits of bringing their own pet- dogs, cats, rabbits- to provide fur-covered therapy to ill children.

If you’re interested in volunteering your time and sharing the love we know comes unconditionally from four-legged family members, this is the way to do it.

Just about a year ago, I was out with my grandmother at the Pasadena Humane Society looking into getting her another dog after her sheltie passed on.

I was expecting to see lots of dogs and cats, and some birds here and there (they do have an aviary afterall).

What I wasn’t expecting to see was a 5-6 foot American Alligator named Tina.

Tina, of course, was not for adoption. Tina’s been a permanent resident of the Pasadena Humane Society since 1998, when she was abandoned after the wildlife company she was at went out of business. So now she’s part of the PHS’ educational program. Over the years, Tina has become accustomed to humans, and therefore even if released in the wild, she would never be able to survive.

But a 15 year old, 7 foot-long gator needs space. When I saw Tina a year ago, she didn’t have much room at all, considering her size. There was a bit of water there to swim in, but she was just laying still, half in water, half out. I honestly thought at first that she wasn’t real because there wasn’t any movement! Of course, with so little room and such a big body, I would imagine it’d be kinda rough to move.

Thankfully her confines have been given an upgrade; double the size it originally was. Tina now has a 20′ x 18′ living area, half of which is a filtered pond, donated by Ray Stewart; the owner of Waterworks Ponds in Glendale.

[From Pasadena Star News]

Thousands of animals are found running in the streets as a stray, and abandoned in Shelters in Los Angeles each year. Many can’t find homes, and end up being humanely euthanized. But with your help, you can make a difference, and save some lives.

Shelters across Los Angeles County are currently looking for volunteer foster parents to take care of abandoned newborn kittens. They are being bottle-fed, and need to be burped and watched over full-time, just like a newborn human baby.

If you live in the L.A. area, and would like to help out some baby kitties in need, please contact one of the following two people.

To volunteer with L.A. County, call Ken Kramer at (562) 256-1367.

To volunteer with the city of L.A., call Pat Ott at (213) 305-9068.

Not just the kitties need help though. There are thousands of animals in shelters waiting to find a place to call home: from dogs and cats, to even birds, rabbits, and reptiles. If you don’t want to adopt, but have the room in your home, and kindness in your heart to help an animal in need, please consider contacting your local animal shelter, humane society, or rescue group to become a foster parent. Most places will pay for all food and vet bills, and only require of you to look after and give some love to the animal in your care.

If you’d like to adopt, try checking out Petfinder.com. Animals from shelters and rescue groups all over the U.S. are listed there. Some looking temporary, and permanent homes.

Also please considering going to the Animal Rescue Site, and clicking on the button on the front page daily to provide 0.6 bowls of food and care for animals in shelters across the nation.