Title: Pet Adoption Event – West Hollywood
Location: Bristol Farms Hollywood – 7880 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90046 (323.874.6301)
Description: Pet Adoption Event- wonderful shelter dogs and cats available for adoption and in need of a great new home. All pets will be microchipped, vaccinated, current on all shots, spayed/neutered and available to go home from the event. Start the New Year with a new best friend and help save a life!
Start Time: 11:00
Date: 2009-12-19
End Time: 16:00

Steve Markwell is the founder of Olympic Animal Sanctuary in Forks, Washington. The Olympic Animal Sanctuary caters to the worst of the worst from around the country: dogs who would be euthanized or turned away at any other shelter, and those with records so bad that no animal welfare group would consider adopting them out. Among the more than 50 animals currently at the sanctuary are domestic coyote mixes, guard dogs who once belonged to drug dealers, ex-fighting pit bulls and cat-killing huskies with impressive rap sheets. Markwell has seen litters of puppies that started trying to kill each other at 7 weeks, and a miniature pinscher who bit off somebody’s lip and ate the family guinea pig. Markwell’s method to taming the untamable is not being tough, it’s giving dogs their space until they’re ready to let him in. Markwell gets calls from animal control agencies all over the U.S. He takes the dog only when he’s convinced it truly has nowhere else to go. For complete story click HERE.

Pilots-N-Paws are a group of more than a thousand animal-loving pilots.  They voluntarily work with animal rescue groups to fly dogs from point A to point B because geography often can make the difference between life and death for animals.  For example, while the majority of shelter animals in the southeast are euthanized, there are shelters to the north that have space for more animals and pets there stand a far better chance of adoption.  In some cases there is a family in one part of the country already lined up to adopt a particular dog from a shelter or rescue in another part of the country- Pilots-N-Paws makes it happen!  These kind-hearted pilots are responsible for flying hundreds of animals to safety all over the country. For complete story click HERE.

In July, more than 500 dogs were seized in Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas in the largest dogfighting raids in U.S. history. Four of the Missouri men arrested received their sentences this week:  Teddy Kiriakidis, 50, and Ronald Creach, 34,  who pleaded guilty to conspiracy, were sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. Michael Morgan, 38, and Robert Hackman, 56, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy and selling animals for fighting, were sentenced to one year in prison. For complete story click HERE.

Chihuahua’s are replacing pit bulls as the breed most often left at shelters in California.  For example, one third of the dogs held at San Francisco’s city shelter are Chihuahua’s or Chihuahua mixes.  Interestingly, shelters in other parts of the county, even big cities like New York, don’t have a single Chihuahua in their shelter system!  Some animal lovers blame Hollywood for California’s surplus.  Bruiser in the movie ‘Legally Blonde’, Paris Hilton’s Chihuahua Tinkerbell, the Taco Bell commercial Chihuahua and the movie ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua’ are just a few examples. The media fueled a demand for these little dogs and breeders and pet stores saw dollar signs.  The novelty is wearing off and people are discarding these pint-sized pooches like an old sweater that went out of style. For complete story click HERE.

Zhu Zhu Pets are the must-have item of the 2009 holiday shopping season. It’s officially the future and your kid can have robot animals to take care of instead of the real thing if you like.

Stores can’t keep these little suckers on the shelves. Everyone wants one. What is a Zhu Zhu Pet? It’s a fuzzy hamster toy that makes sounds. The sound of teeth-brushing in the bathroom and sleeping sounds in the bedroom. The little creatures also squeak when petted on the nose.

These little electronic hamsters usually sell for $10 bucks but demand is forcing prices up. People are selling them for up to $60 a pop. Parents just gotta have this toy for their kids.

You can also get a Zhu Zhu hamster funhouse for about $80 bucks on Amazon.com.

A Veinna zoo has given a digital camera to one of their orangutans. Every time Nonja takes a picture the camera dispenses a raisin. Then those photos are posted to her facebook account.

The zoo gave her the Samsung ST 1000. This camera has a point-and-shoot feature that automatically uploads the pictures to her facebook account.

Actress (and big time animal lover) Katherine Heigl paid thousands of dollars to transport 25 homeless Chihuahua’s from Los Angeles to New Hampshire!  While other areas of the country have a “shortage” of small dogs up for adoption, Los Angeles has an overabundance of Chihuahua-type dogs; tens of thousands are euthanized every year.   Because of Heigl’s generosity, 25 little Los Angeles shelter pups have been saved and sent to a Humane Society in New Hampshire.  While LA residents might find it hard to believe, in New Hampshire small dogs are hard to come by and people will be lined up for the opportunity to adopt these little dogs! For complete story click HERE.

A California family brings their dog to the groomer for a holiday hairdo and they are given the wrong dog to bring home.  The family that took their dog home by accident lost the dog.  Several days later the dog turned up dead near the train tracks. For complete story click HERE.