I’ve got too many sweaters, some that are thirteen years old, and I really should throw them away. But it’s hard because I’m too sentimentally attached to them. I don’t know how anyone could get rid of a thirteen-year-old pet.

Most Sundays I’m at the South L.A. shelter taking photographs of dogs that need new homes. Some are marked “stray” while others are “owner surrender,” like this 13-year-old Jindo mix turned in because the owner had “too many.”

How can you suddenly decide you have “too many” and how can you give away the one that has loved you and counted on you for thirteen years? How can you take it and drop it off in a place where it may be crowded into a cage with a cold hard floor, like some old sweater you’d drop into a donation bin? The former owner didn’t even tell anyone her name.

Just over a week ago I took some photos of this dog and a volunteer sent out a plea on her behalf via email, but really, we didn’t hold out much hope. Well, thankfully we were wrong. That same volunteer and I were there yesterday when she went home with her foster mom Susan who has named her Maddy.

Congratulations, Maddy! Hey, call me if you need a sweater!

• Name: Katy

• Rescued From: South LA Animal Shelter

• Journey: Animal Advocates Alliance intercepted Katy at the South LA shelter just as her owner was dumping her. She had been losing weight and the hair was thinning on her hind quarters. Her owner couldn’t afford to take her to the vet, so she wanted the shelter to euthanize Katy!

She was taken out of the shelter and straight to the vet. Katy was diagnosed with an easily-treatable skin and ear infection. She was given antibiotics, and was soon on her way back to health. While she was recovering, her sweet and gentle personality began to show. Katy was calm and mellow, got along perfectly with other dogs and cats, loved people, and was patient with children.

After about four weeks of veterinary treatment, a family in La Mesa saw Katy’s picture on Petfinder.com and wanted to meet her. They had recently lost their beloved Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and really missed having a dog in the house. They took Katy in as a foster dog at first in order to make sure she got along with their two rescue cats and their six-week-old granddaughter. At the end of one week, the family had fallen in love with Katy and decided to adopt her. She now has a large backyard of her own, and for the first time in her life, has her very own dog bed and toys! She’s working on getting back to a healthy weight, and enjoys taking daily walks with her new guardians, Shelly and Gerrit. Her favorite treat: Shelly’s homemade liver brownies!

• Favorite Activity: Eating her favorite treat (Shelly’s homemade liver brownies!)

January 28, 2009 – Much to the disappointment of numerous animal rights activists and elephant enthusiasts, the Los Angeles City Council voted to complete the construction of the L.A. Zoo’s Pachyderm Forest Exhibit, which will be used to house elephants including Billy, the Zoo’s lone Asian elephant.  Those in favor of sending Billy to an elephant sanctuary in Northern California, including Councilman Tony Cardenas, former U.S. presidential candidate, Dennis Kucinich, and numerous elephant experts, believe that Billy’s continued captivity would be inhumane and harmful to the elephant, who has already exhibited signs of mental stress.  Billy’s supporters cite the fact that fifteen elephants have died in the LA Zoo since 1974 before reaching 20 years of age as evidence of the harm caused by such captivity.  Wild Asian elephants, on the other hand, have life spans of 50 to 70 yrs. Full text of the story here.