Los Angeles County Tuesday celebrated its 1,000th pet adoption under a special program started by Supervisor Michael Antonovich, and about a dozen happy pet owners brought their dogs downtown to thank Antonovich for his steadfast support.
Retired Judge Lance Ito, who became a household name when he presided over the O.J. Simpson murder trial, carried Fergie, a small, silky, white dog. Newly appointed CEO Sachi Hamai hoisted Oreo, a curly, black-haired dog nearly as large as Hamai, as the dog wiggled in her arms and moved to lick Antonovich’s face.
Supervisor Sheila Kuehl joked that if people thought most of the pets featured by the program ended up with residents, rather than county employees, they were kidding themselves.
Nearly every week for the last 20 years, Antonovich has made a plea for residents to adopt a rescue, holding one lucky shelter animal, usually a dog, in his arms. The program has a 100 percent placement rate, according to the Department of Animal Care and Control.
Tuesday, the would-be adoptee was a tiny, black-haired kitten.
Cats are even more at risk of not finding homes.
This Friday, officials will join “Dancing with the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba to introduce a program offering all cat owners a $50 voucher to help off-set the cost of spay and neuter services.
A list of animals available for adoption from county shelters, which include dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, nearly a dozen horses, some turtles, a few snakes and at least one pig, can be found at here.
— City News Service