According to statistics provided by the County of Los Angeles, between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2015, more than 50% of the animals who arrived at the Downey shelter never made it out alive. Of the approximately 16,000 animals who went through the doors of that facility, more than 8,000 were euthanized. Many of the shelters in L.A. County reflect similarly sad statistics over the last few years. Experts recognize that the fastest way to decrease these disheartening figures is to significantly increase the availability of spay and neuters (s/n) in every community, by also increasing awareness that there are s/n programs which are available and affordable. On Friday, February 19, a number of groups based in Los Angeles are joining together to accomplish that goal.
That day, as part of February’s Spay/Neuter Awareness Month, the Bark Avenue Foundation (BAF) and nonprofit partner, ShelterMe, with sponsorship provided by the ASPCA, will hold a community event in East Lost Angeles, whose goal is to s/n over 100 cats and dogs free of charge. “Fix’n LA” kicks off Friday morning, with Riverside County Shelter Animal Care and Control’s mobile clinic on site to s/n pets. The project, aimed at combating pet overpopulation in Bell and Cudahy in zip code 90201, will freely sterilize over 100 animals. Pet owners can receive low-cost vaccinations from 1stCare Vets, as well as goodie bags, collars, microchips and ID tags. Kongs Pets and Grooming will be offering free nail trims.
The community event is geared to raise awareness of the free and low-cost animal care services available in L.A. County. “We are thrilled to be sponsored by the ASPCA during Spay/Neuter Month,” says BAF President and Founder, Melanie Pozez. “Fix’n LA” also coincides with Bark Avenue Foundation’s 3000th free sterilization in Los Angeles County, which is helping to save lives by reducing the number of litters of puppies and kittens entering the Downey Shelter,” she adds.
“Fix’n LA” will take place Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Superior Grocers located at 7300 Atlantic Avenue, Cudahy, 90201. The morning will kick off with a press conference at 8 A.M. with Bell Councilman Nestor Enrique Valencia, who will have his own pets sterilized at the event; Tina Reddington, Director of ASPCA’s Los Angeles Volunteer Programs; representatives from LA County Animal Services will speak, along with Ms. Pozez from BAF and Steven Latham from ShelterMe. These local leaders will address the importance of spaying/neutering, their partnership with Bark Avenue Foundation, and what else is in store for animal health and safety within L.A. County for 2016 and beyond.
BAF is a Los Angeles nonprofit organization dedicated to animal welfare. BAF is dedicated to addressing the pet overpopulation crisis through s/n, supporting pet owners in under-served communities, and airlifting at-risk animals from overcrowded Southern California shelters to no-kill partners around the country. For more information, please click here. BAF holds additional s/n events throughout the year.
Shelter Me is an inspiring series that celebrates shelter pets with positive and uplifting stories. The project also includes this website, which enables anyone to create and share profiles of shelter pets to help increase adoptions. Shelter Me works closely with other animal welfare organizations to implement effective spay-neuter and humane education programs in communities and progressive initiatives at animal shelters. You can follow ShelterMeTV on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Here is a link to some of the pets currently available at Downey or in Downey-associated foster families; please check out their photos to see if you’d like to make one of them part of your furever family. As always, their time in the shelter is very short.
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