Mountain Views News          Saturday, November 7, 2015

9

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS

Mountain Views-News Saturday, November 7, 2015 


LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND?

LA’S REVERSAL 

LEAVES RESCUE 

RETAILERS REELING

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc

To be your football buddy? Leroy is a sweet, 
mellow Chihuahua/Corgi mix, about 8 years old, 
weighing just over 13 pounds. He is handsome 
with a short coat of white with brown patches. He 
can be a little shy at first, but it doesn’t take long for 
him to get comfortable. 

 Leroy is a polite boy who enjoys the company 
of people without being needy about it. He is easy 
to harness, and is a calm, happy 
walker, wagging his tail the 
entire time. He walks next to his 
handler without pulling. 

 Leroy would rather be a 
member of the pack than the 
leader. He seems to have an 
interest in meeting other dogs 
at the shelter, but would rather 
follow them than lead the way. 
Leroy is not the alpha dog in 
his relationships. He arrived 
at the shelter with another 
smaller dog who was clearly 
“top dog” between the two of 
them. Leroy is now sharing 
his kennel with another more 
easy-going dog, and the two of 
them get along very well with 
each other.

 Leroy would make a 
wonderful companion for someone with a less 
active life style. He is not demanding and doesn’t 
ask for much more than a loving home where he 
is treated like part of the family and kept safe and 
comfortable. Leroy would probably enjoy the 
company of another dog with a similar energy 
level and temperament. 

 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 Leroy, please stop 
by any time from 10:30am to 4:30pm Tuesday thru 
Sunday. 

 In celebration of ‘Adopt A 
Senior Pet Month’, his adoption 
fee is $39 which includes his 
neuter surgery, a microchip, 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 Leroy. Check 
us out at sgvhumane.org for 
more information about shelter 
services and photos of all our 
wonderful adoptable pets. 

 Celebrate the season with our 
‘Fall is for Felines’ promotion. 
All cats one year and older are 
available until November 25th 
for a $39 adoption fee. 

 2016 calendars are available at 
the shelter for a $10 donation. 
The photos were selected among 
hundreds submitted by shelter supporters. They 
make great holiday gifts for the animal lovers 
on your list! If you would like to order a 2016 
calendar on line, you can stop by the shelter or do 
so through Paypal. Go to the shelter website at 
sgvhumane.org for more information. 

When it comes to animal advocacy in today’s society, It 
seems that we are somewhat stuck in a rut with a repeated 
pattern of taking one step forward and two steps back. 
Right now I can’t think of a better example to fit this 
pattern than what occurred in LA this past May.

 I’ll start at the beginning, with the ‘one step forward’ 
portion of the pattern that played out in this prime pet-
protection example. In 2012, the news hit the headlines 
that the city of Los Angeles had banned the sale of 
commercially-bred puppy-mill pets in retail shops. Now 
shop owners would only be allowed to sell rescued pets. 
This victory came as part of an on-going campaign to 
discourage breeding and lessen the inordinate number of 
animals being euthanized in LA shelters.

 I was so happy to hear the good news! Finally the 
‘powers that be’ had realized how serious the problem had 
become and had taken action by showing compassion 
through legislation. It brought new hope that perhaps the 
pendulum was swinging in a more positive direction for 
the humane treatment of animals in Los Angeles.

 The new law would be good for all involved, but 
there was one slight “technicality” that would need to 
be worked out. Because rescue groups deal mostly with 
adult pets versus puppies and kittens, they would be 
required to obtain a special permit to conduct business 
in a retail-zoned location rather than the industrial zones 
they’d been limited to in the past.

 Clearly, the beauty of a pet adoption shop in a busy 
retail storefront is having the advantage of constant 
foot traffic. Unwitting shoppers out for a quick lunch 
or a new pair of shoes might catch a glimpse of a 
darling dog or cat in the window, find it irresistible 
and arrange to take it home. Presumably, the city 
council viewed the permit issue as nothing more 
than a minor, previously overlooked bug that could 
be worked out in short order, so they met with the 
requesting rescue organizations, and permission was 
granted. It proved to be a huge success, as numerous 
otherwise euthanized animals were fortunately 
finding forever loving homes.

 Now, fast forward to May of this year to hear what lead 
to the ‘two steps back’ portion of the story. When the city 
decided to permit rescue pet retailers to keep (more than 
four) adult cats and dogs in their retail-zoned shops, they 
failed to notify the public of the hearing. Maybe in their 
minds the issue was, well, a non-issue; simply a matter 
of interpretation. The commercially-bred animals sold in 
retail stores before the law changed in 2012 were mainly 
kittens and puppies while most rescued pets happen to be 
adult dogs and cats. 

 However, when one particular 
citizen caught wind of the ‘permit 
decision’ that had been made in her 
absence, it did not sit well with her. 
Indeed, she threatened to sue the 
city on the grounds that the council 
had broken another one of their own 
ordinances by failing to post public 
notice of the meeting. Ultimately, that 
disgruntled citizen, a self-proclaimed 
animal activist in her own right 
(really?) kept her promise. She did file 
her law suit against the city and she 
prevailed.

 The result was devastating (wait for 
it…here come the two steps). Because of the law suit, the 
city was forced to reverse their decision, as insignificant 
as it may have seemed at the time. The rescue-pet retailers 
were now told that, in spite of previous permission 
granted, they would have to cease doing business in 
retail-zoned areas until they obtained a conditional use 
permit (CUP) which can take several months and cost 
thousands of dollars. 

 Animal rescue groups are typically non-profit 
organizations dedicated to caring for the pets they rescue 
and finding them good homes. Unlike other retailers, 
they can’t just close up shop and sell the merchandise 
they have left on the shelves at a slash discount. They 
work very hard to raise funds for every project they take 
on. They don’t have thousands of dollars to throw at the 
city, or extra stash cash to put towards advanced rent in 
hopes of getting a conditional use permit at some point in 
the future. It simply doesn’t work that way.

 Who knows what that lady was thinking or what her 
true motive was when she chose to file her law suit. What 
she did succeed in doing was to make it all the more 
difficult for rescued pets to get adopted, and that is just 
plain wrong. I’ll refrain from using the sue-happy citizen’s 
name in this article, to avoid the possibility of being 
pursued with a suit myself, but I will say that I am truly 
mystified as to why an individual who claims to care about 
animals would make such a fuss over a minor grey-area 
infringement, knowing the outcome would create huge 
hurdles for the facilitation of pet adoptions in LA.

 Whatever her reason, the deed is done and now we 
true animal advocates must focus on what we can do 
to help get the pet-protection pendulum swinging back 
in the right direction. If you want to get on board and 
be part of the solution, there are a couple of ways you 
can help. First, you can spread the word to any and all 
animal-loving retail property owners you may know, and 
appeal to them for assistance.

 You can also go to Petopia.com or 
Luckypuppyrescueandretail.com where you’ll 
find details about their specific needs as well as 
information on how to get involved and make a 
donation. These two LA-based animal rescue non-
profs are suffering the consequences of the city’s 
sudden permit reversal and they need our help. Let’s 
strive to get yet another step forward on behalf of 
rescued pets. It takes a community to save an animal 
and if you ask me, the animals are most definitely 
worth it!


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