Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 12, 2014

9

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS

Mountain Views-News Saturday, Jully 12, 2014 


LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND?

CANYON CANINE 
DOG WALKING & PET 
SITTING SERVICES

 Looking For A Best 
Friend?? To share the 
summer fun with? So is 
Bernie!

 He is approximately 
5 years old and is quite 
adorable. He is most likely a 
Chihuahua mix, but he has 
the face of a little fox. He is a 
beautiful chestnut color and 
has a short, smooth coat that 
would be easy to groom.

 Bernie had an old hip 
injury that has completely 
healed. He walks without 
any difficulty at all, but you will notice when he has 
to relieve himself, he will do a “hand stand” on his 
two front legs. It is quite comical and surprising the 
first time you see him do it. He probably learned 
to accommodate the hip injury and just never gave 
up his gymnastic talent. It only adds to his unique 
personality and charm.

 Bernie gets along well with his kennel mate and 
other dogs he has met at the shelter. He will sniff 
and interact with other dogs, but he is also happy 
exploring on his own. He has a calm energy level 
and enjoys going for walks and is very easy to 
handle on leash.

 Bernie likes people, but he does not demand 
attention. He is quite comfortable and happy sitting 
in a lap and being carried, 
but will also lie quietly at 
your feet. He would be an 
excellent companion dog 
for someone who wants to 
share a home with a calm, 
sweet dog. He’d be happier 
in a more quiet setting than 
in a very active household, 
and would be a great choice 
for an older person or couple 
looking for a new best friend.

 Please come meet 
Bernie and see if he would 
be a good addition to your 
He currently resides at the San Gabriel Valley 
Humane Society located at 851 E. Grand Avenue in 
San Gabriel with his roommate. We are located off 
San Gabriel Blvd., north of Mission and south of 
Las Tunas.

 To arrange a ‘Meet and Greet’ with Bernie, 
please stop by any time from 10:00am to 4:30pm 
Tuesday thru Sunday. His adoption fee is $120 
which includes a microchip, neuter surgery, first 
vaccinations and a free wellness check-up at a 
participating veterinarian. Feel free to call us at 
(626) 286-1159 for more information on Bernie.

 

 See our website at www.sgvhumane.org for 
information and photos of all our available pets.


Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc

“UN-ADOPTABLE” 
DOGS PERFORMING 
UNIMAGINEABLE TASKS

 Every now and then, I hear someone say they 
went to a shelter, adopted a dog, did their best 
to make it work out, but ended up having 
to return the dog because it was simply “too 
hyperactive” or had “way too much energy” to 
fit into the dynamic of their home. I understand 
how that can happen, especially when there are 
children or other animals involved, and I give 
those would-be adopting families credit for 
giving it their best try. Still, the sad side of the 
story is that when dogs are taken home only to 
be returned to the shelter, they often get labeled 
as “un-adoptable,” which means they stand a 
higher chance of falling to the fate of euthanasia, 
regardless of their age or physical condition.

 According to statistics I found on the Humane 
Society of the United States website (updated 
Nov. 2009) approximately 3-4 million dogs and 
cats are euthanized in this country every year. 
In a civilized society such as ours, I find that 
fact simply disheartening and, quite frankly, 
unacceptable. How tragic it is that we as a nation 
– with so many advantages and advances, both 
socially and technologically – are still allowing 
free reign on breeding dogs and cats, knowing 
how many will likely end up in shelters where 
they are put to sleep if not adopted within a few 
short weeks?

 I recently read an article about shelter dogs 
that had been labeled as un-adoptable due 
to hyperactivity, but were eventually rescued 
mainly because they possess that very trait. That’s 
right – dogs with extreme and intense energy 
levels, who are considered uncontrollable for 
the average family, have proven to be of use in 
the search and rescue field. It warmed my heart 
to know that the reason a dog is more apt to be 
put to sleep could turn out to be the very reason 
its life is saved, and that they could be trained to 
save people. It is rather ironic, don’t you think? 
Well, I think that is the kind of irony we can live 
with!

 The Search Dog Foundation (SDF) is a non-
profit, non-governmental organization based in 
Ojai, California, whose mission is to strengthen 
disaster preparedness in America by partnering 
rescued dogs with firefighters to find people 
buried alive in the wreckage of disasters. Their 
teams (a dog and its handler) are provided at no 
cost to fire departments and other emergency 
service agencies throughout the country. 

 SDF was founded by Wilma Melville in 1995 in 
the wake of the tragic Oklahoma City bombing. 
Prior to the Oklahoma attack, Wilma had left 
the comfort of her cozy home on a beautiful 
piece of property in Ojai to live in a plane 
hanger where she thought she could simplify her 
life and indulge in her beloved hobby of small 
craft aviation. Now, 17 years later, “simple” is 
definitely not a word one would use to describe 
Wilma’s life. After visiting the Oklahoma City 
disaster site, Wilma was compelled to forego her 
original plan of simplifying her life; she started 
an organization that provides canine search 
teams that are trained to rescue victims buried 
under the rubble of disasters such as the one that 
occurred that fateful day in Oklahoma City.

 SDF has grown by leaps and bounds since it 
was founded in 1995, and today they provide 
canine disaster search teams first-responders 
throughout the country. Included among the 
numerous emergency response deployments 
taken on by SDF-trained teams over the years 
are the 9/11 WTC attack, various California 
mudslides, train derailments & accidents in 
Los Angeles, the Haiti earthquake, Hurricanes 
Katrina and Rita, floods in New York, the Japan 
earthquake and tsunami and many more.

 Although SDF has succeeded in carrying out 
and completing numerous deployments over 
the years, thanks to the many volunteers and 
supporters who have gotten involved, their job 
would be much easier if they had access to a 
training headquarters. At this point, there is no 
facility in the US dedicated solely to training 
canine disaster search teams, so SDF has taken 
on the challenge of bringing this resource to the 
nation. They are building a National Training 
Center 90 minutes north of Los Angeles in Santa 
Paula, CA, featuring a Disaster Training Zone 
where 1st responders will get highly advanced 
training to face the most challenging disaster 
deployments. When the project is complete, 
Search Teams from across the country and 
around the world will come to take advantage 
of the unique disaster simulation scenarios that 
will be available at the Zone.

 The Zone will be a 3-acre, one-of-a-kind 
simulation site that will include collapsed 
buildings, part of a collapsed freeway, a giant 
rubble pile, mudslides, areas for deep victim 
searches and train derailments. Each of the 
elements will be changeable so the teams will 
encounter new challenges each time they 
visit the site. It will involve innovative design, 
engineering, construction and installation. 

 This important and unique project will require 
funding to complete, so SDF is appealing to 
new and existing partners to help complete 
the National Training Center. As potential 
beneficiaries of canine disaster search teams 
being provided through volunteer efforts, we 
should all be willing to help make this project 
happen. For more information about how you 
can partner with SDF to make the National 
Training Center a success, please visit their 
website at www.searchdogfoundation.org. Every 
bit counts, and most of us are indeed in the 
position to do at least a little. For the dogs, and 
for the victims of disaster, please do what you 
can!

GRIFFIN 

Meet a real charmer with supermodel 
potential, Griffin (A4727152)! Griffin is an 
endearing 2- to 3-year-old buff Cocker Spaniel 
who was found in West Covina and brought 
to the Baldwin Park Animal Care Center on 
June 27th. Weighing 35 lbs, he is a sweet and 
affectionate dog who has experienced some 
neglect and would benefit from TLC, most 
especially regular grooming so he can be the 
gorgeous dog we know he is! Good with other 
dogs, Griffin walks nicely on leash and is all 
around an easygoing pet. Griffin will be a loyal 
indoor pet and best friend to an individual or 
family living in an apartment or a single-family 
home. To see a video of Griffin please visit the 
following link: http://youtu.be/0ko8Xp_c4h8 

 To meet Griffin in person, please see him at 
the Baldwin Park Shelter, located at 4275 N. 
Elton, Baldwin Park, CA 91706 (Phone: 626-
430-2378 or 626-962-3577). He is currently 
available now. For any inquiries about Griffin, 
please reference his animal ID number: 
A4727152. The shelter is open seven days a 

week, 12 pm-7 pm Monday-Thursday and 
10am-5pm Friday-Sunday. This is a high-
intake shelter with a great need for adoptions. 
For more information about Griffin or the 
adoption process, please contact United Hope 
for Animals Volunteer Adoption Coordinator 
Samantha at Samantha@hope4animals.org. 
To learn more about United Hope for Animals’ 
partnership with the Baldwin Park Shelter 
through its Shelter Support Program, as well 
as the many dogs of all breeds, ages, and sizes 
available for adoption in local shelters, visit 
http://www.unitedhope4animals.org/about-
us/shelter-support-program/.

PET OF THE WEEK: ZEKE

Animal ID #A4727152

 
The San Gabriel Valley Humane Society was founded in 1924 
by Fannie Thompson Kessler, in a time when our country was 
feeling prosperous, optimistic and a little rebellious. We’ve 
been providing compassionate care for stray and abandoned 
animals ever since. Please join us in celebrating our 
90th Anniversary! 
RSVP (626) 286-1159 
90th Anniversary 
Celebration 
August 2, 2014 
6:30-9:30pm 
at the 
Community 
Companion 
Speakeasy 
5271 Sereno Dr. 
Temple City, 
CA 91780 
$90 minimum donation per person 
RSVP (626) 286-1159 
851 E. Grand Ave. San Gabriel, CA 91776 
www.sgvhumane.org 
where EVERY donation makes a measurable 
difference! 
Libations, 
finger foods, 
music & d 
professional 
dance lessons 
under the stars 
and shhhh! 
a silent 
auction! 
JUST VISITING!


“The drought brings our Beary good friends out of the mountains looking for food, water 
and apparently, a place to chill out”. Photo by Charlie Kissinger, Sierra Madre


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com