Town Hall wrap-up: Echo Park is for (animal) lovers
by Kelly Erickson
Thank you everyone for coming out to our first meeting of 2014! We are excited for a new year of grassroots organization and activism in Echo Park. Last month’s meeting was a great way to start things off – we brought together local organizations, volunteers and residents who work in pet services around the community. We learned a lot about adoption, intervention, volunteer and donation opportunities, and more!
As a followup to the meeting, here is a digest of what we learned:
BLUECOLLAR WORKING DOG
- Michelle from Bluecollar Working Dog on Echo Park Avenue in Echo Park introduced not only the retail products they offer, but also the amazing pet services on a variety of levels, including:
- Free 2-week supplies of dog food for those in need from their Food Bank. This is a no questions asked program. Those who want to donate to the Food Bank can purchase and donate dog food for the program.
- They have an in-store chip reader, and will call the owner registered to the pet.
Once a month, they bring in a group that provides chipping, low-cost health exams, blood work, nail clippings, vaccines, and more. - For more information about all of these programs, check their website at bluecollarworkingdog.com – and we recommend joining their email list from the home page of their website.
NORTH CENTRAL ANIMAL SHELTER
The North Central Animal Shelter Intervention Program is relatively new – a volunteer-run organization that started last November, volunteers set up a table in front of the North Central Animal Shelter offering any aid to help owners keep their pets before giving them up to the shelter. Most people who end up surrendering their pets do so because of financial reasons – affording vaccines, pet deposits in their home or apartment, medical issues, and more.
The Intervention Program can help connect people with free or low-cost spay/neuter resources, provide pet supplies like food, collars, leashes and beds, and even help pay to redeem dogs for some. They work with a network of rescues and fosters, and using social media to spread the word they help place an animal before they go into the shelter system. “It’s a nice way to not stress the city shelter system,” said Kerry Armstrong of the Program. “The more we can keep out and find a rescue for or keep with the families, the fewer animals the city shelter will have.”
Donations are tax deductible. Most cases can cost up to $300, but typically it costs much less to help animals find a home or stay with their family. The program is modeled after the South Los Angeles Intervention Program, which kept over 1700 animals from the shelter just from April to October of 2013.
Contact info: facebook.com/northcentralintervention, ncintervention@gmail.com
MUDDY PAW COFFEE
Darren Labori recently opened Muddy Paw Coffee at 2230 Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake. The cafe not only serves coffee, it donates a portion of daily revenue to local animal rescues while encouraging people to micro-chip and spay/neuter their pets.
LA FEEDERS
LA Feeders is a volunteer-run organization that feeds neighborhood/stray cats in Southern California. They also collect food donations and provide food to local organizations like shelters and other animal service organizations. They are currently holding a raffle on their website for a 6 foot cat condo tree – tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10. www.lafeeders.org | Local contact: Adela Montalvo, adela@lafeeders.org
OTHER GREAT RESOURCES
During the meeting there were other local services used by residents in the area, here are those resources:
Luxe Paws: Volunteer-run organization facilitating adoption, spay & neuter for homeless animals in the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Silver Lake, Los Feliz & Echo Park. Contact info:
info@luxepaws.org, facebook.com/LuxePaws
Mohawk Alley Animal Hospital: Newly opened on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park. Contact info: (213) 201-7900, mohawkalleyanimalhospital.com
Warren Animal Hospital: Located on Riverside Drive, full and emergency services. Contact info: (323) 664-2188, warrenanimalhospitallosangeles.com
Echo Park Animal Alliance: Currently accepting monetary donations as well as any pet items such as crates, food, leashes, etc. They are also looking for volunteers to help foster pets! Visit echoparkanimalalliance.org for more info.
Share any other resources you may have in the comments below!
