Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 7, 2015

B2

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 7, 2015


LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND??

A GOOD CAUSE 

FOR BIG PAWS


To march into spring with? 
Toodles is a 9 year old 
Pomeranian/Chihuahua 
mix gentle senior man who 
weighs 12.7 lbs. He is black 
in color with a little speck of 
white around his face and 
body. 

 Toodles has a very 
mellow sweet disposition, 
is friendly to people and 
also enjoys pets and belly 
rubs. Currently he lives 
with little Taco and the 
two are good roommates. 
Toodles is friendly with 
other dogs.

 On his walks, he seems to have medium energy 
and walks at a steady pace, occasionally exploring 
and rolling in the grass. He is very confident and 
carries himself well. He is good on leash and pays 
attention to his walker. If you stop during a walk, 
he stops also and waits. He will sit for treats, but 
also likes to stand up for them.

 Toodles is a delight to walk and hang out with. 
He would be very easy to take care of and be a 
loving family pet. Please stop by the shelter and 
meet Toodles.

 He currently resides at 
the San Gabriel Valley 
Humane Society located at 
851 E. Grand Avenue in San 
Gabriel. We are located off 
San Gabriel Blvd., north of 
Mission and south of Las 
Tunas. 

 To arrange a ‘Meet and 
Greet’ with Toodles, please 
stop by any time from 
10:00am to 4:30pm Tuesday 
thru Sunday. 

 In honor of St. Patrick, 
who lived to a ripe old age of 
74 in 461A.D. we celebrate 
our senior pets for their wisdom, experience, 
adaptability, willingness to learn new tricks and for 
easily loving and bonding with us. For the month 
of March, the adoption fee for all ‘senior’ pets 5 years 
and older is only $39 for all adopters. This includes 
spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, microchip and a 
free wellness exam at a participating veterinarian. 
Feel free to call us at (626) 286-1159 for more 
information on Toodles. 

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

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc

If you are a regular reader of this column, you have 
probably read previous articles about Animazonia 
Wildlife Foundation, and you’ll most likely be 
interested in this update on what‘s happening at 
their sanctuary lately. For those of you who are new to Animazonia, it is a non-profit organization 
that provides a permanent home for big cats rescued from threatening conditions in captivity or 
displaced from the wild. They offer educational programs to build public understanding of big cats 
and their natural place in our world.

 I first found out about Animazonia five years ago, while shopping 
at one of their benefit yard sales here in town and I was immediately 
interested in learning more about what they do and how I could help 
out. I visited their sanctuary in Riverside, CA soon after that sale, 
where I met two big cats living there at the time; Magic, a gorgeous 
Asian black leopard and Saba, an enormous African lioness, both of 
whom enjoyed the luxury of living their lives out in a beautiful setting 
with loving, attentive caretakers.

 Today, Animazonia is home to two wild-born California mountain 
lions, Olive and Leno. They were discovered at three months of age, 
orphaned and abandoned under a car in Burbank, malnourished and 
riddled with parasites. Due to their young age and lack of hunting 
skills, local wildlife experts agreed that the cubs could not survive if 
released back into the wild. After rehabilitation by California Wildlife 
Center and two years at ZooToYou in central California, Olive and 
Leno found their permanent home with Animazonia in 2014.

 Much work must be done to help wild cats habituate in captivity, 
and I was fortunate enough to catch up with Olive and Leno’s trainer, 
Kristi Slane, who shared lots of exciting news about how the two 
cats are getting along in their new home. Kristi, a 10-year veteran of 
animal training, worked for the County of Riverside as an animal 
behaviorist before volunteering at Animazonia. With a big heart for 
helping big cats, Kristi is dedicated to teaching Olive and Leno new 
skills designed to make their lives in captivity fuller, happier and 
healthier.

 First among the many things that Olive and Leno are learning 
during their sessions with Kristi, is the ability to trust humans and 
interact to the extent necessary to keep them in good health. To 
accomplish this goal, Kristi uses a technique called target training. 
For this, she uses a stick with a ball tethered to the tip, which she invites the cat to touch with it‘s nose. 
Each time the cat responds positively by nosing the ball, Kristi rewards the cat with a click or a treat. 
This technique has proven to be successful in teaching the cats a variety of skills, including trust of 
people and willingness to perform tasks necessary for their livelihood.

 The basic skills being taught to Olive and Leno are extremely important to their survival in 
captivity. For example, the cats need to be willing to do such things as go into a transport crate when 
necessary, whether it be to take a trip to the vet, or in the case of an emergency, to be relocated for 
their safety. Kristi is also teaching them to accept a simulated syringe, so that if/when it is necessary 
to give them medication, they will be familiar with enough with the process to take the syringe on 
command. While much of the training is meant to enhance the cats’ physical health, the stimulating 
“games”, which they seem to truly enjoy, benefit their mental health as well. Overall, the results are 
positive and helpful in assuring a happy, healthy lifestyle for those two beautiful beasts.

 Within the next month or so, Animazonia plans to launch a “Who’s Your Daddy?” campaign 
on their Facebook page. The purpose of the campaign is to raise funds for Olive and Leno’s DNA 
testing, to be used in verifying their relationship to the adult males being tracked in the Santa 
Monica Mountains and Verdugo Hills area. If they can find Olive and Leno‘s father, it would not 
only be helpful in caring for their own health, but could also provide valuable DNA data on the 
condition of the cats in the wild, how far they travel, which routes they use, etc. The results will be 
posted on Father’s Day, on the Animazonia Facebook page. This is a fun way for everyone to support 
Animazonia, by simply “liking” them on Facebook, and participating in this unique Father’s Day 
affair.

 I want to thank Olive and Leno’s trainer, Kristi Slane for taking the time to chat with me about the 
exciting progress the cats are making, and many thanks to all of the good folks at Animazonia for 
their dedication on behalf of the animals. Maintaining their sanctuary and caring for the animals 
requires a lot of hard work and funding. They couldn’t do it without the support of people like you and 
me doing what we can to help carry out the mission. For more information on how you can support 
the efforts of Animazonia Wildlife 
Foundation, go to HYPERLINK 
“http://www.animazonia.
com/”www.animazonia.com. 

 Also, check out Animazonia’s 
Rags to Riches yard sale to be held 
at 206 Stedman Place in Monrovia, 
Saturday, March 7 from 8am-4pm. 
I guarantee you will find all kinds 
of great treasures, as I always do 
at their sales, and I’ll bet you’ll 
get hooked on their organization 
immediately, just as I did!


DogWalking & Sitting ServicesSierraMadre, Californiawww.canyoncanine.comchris@canyoncanine.comChris LeclercCanyonCanine626-355-8333 626-533-9536CCConCaCanyonCanineCanineeeieCCChris LeclercChris Leclercae,
chris@canyoncanine.com.canyoncanine.comwwwnCaSierraMadrare, CaliforCaalking&SonDogWWalking & Sitting ServicesonCa626-355-8333 62onCayeclercinnia6-533-95362eclerccanine.comanine.comani,CaliforirnanineSittingServiceseaninee
PET OF THE WEEK Mama: Animal ID #A4804169


Meet a very sweet and 
deserving little Chihuahua, the 
unique and beautiful Mama 
(A4804169)! Mama is a unique 
2-year-old brown merle-and-
white female Chihuahua mix 
who was found in La Puente on 
February 27th with her puppies 
Mo [A4804170] and Buddy 
[A4804171] and brought to the 
Baldwin Park Animal Care 
Center. Weighing 9 lbs, Mama 
is a beautifully sweet girl and 
a loving mommy despite being quite a young dog 
herself. She is obviously scared and made timid by 
life in the shelter environment, but does ease at the 
touch of an affectionate human hand. Although she 
is sadly housed separately from her two scruffy boys 
at the shelter, she warms instantly when in their 
presence. She also gets along with other dogs her 
size (she has kennel mates), so we expect that she 
is a great fit for a household with canine siblings. 
Since she was a stray taking care of her babies, it 
is expected that Mama will be more confident and 
have a greater energy level once she is in the comfort 
of her forever home. Because she is so bonded with 
Mo and Buddy, it would be awesome if they could 
leave the shelter and move into the same household 
as a happy family. In any event, volunteers feel that 
Mama will make a loving and 
loyal indoor pet for just about 
any household in which she 
will be the pampered baby 
for once! To watch a video 
of Mama, please visit the 
following link: http://youtu.
be/-ZsCJgHmVRk

 To meet Mama in 
person, please see her at the 
Baldwin Park Shelter, located 
at 4275 N. Elton, Baldwin 
Park, CA 91706 (Phone: 626-
430-2378 or 626-962-3577). She is available now. 
For any inquiries about Mama, please reference her 
animal ID number: A4804169. 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 Mama or the adoption process, 
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/.