This sweet pupster was taken in by a foster family a while back, but now they’re moving & can’t keep her. Emily has been a busy dog, clearly advanced in years & bearing the marks of much puppy-rearing. She’s sweet as pie and mellow and good-natured–she just needs a loving home. I’ve been following her progress over the months and I really hope she finds a new home. The poor thing has been bounced around enough.

Can you help? Go here and follow the directions at the bottom of the post. Or if you can’t take her in, maybe you can pass this on.

Emily is being placed by the Bill Foundation, a center that works to adopt out dogs to good homes.

Hat tip to the Slackmistress for this post.

Computer nerds, Cat lovers and Battlestar Galactica fans take note! NVIDIA is auctioning off a one of a kind BSG themed PC signed Tricia Helfer, with the proceeds going to Los Angeles Kitten Rescue. Additionally, NVIDIA will match the final auction total for the final donation. They will also pay the shipping to you. More details can be found in this auction.

This is awesome because the kittens certainly could use your help, and BSG fans (like myself) will totally worship you if you are rocking this PC. What’s better than that?

(Thanks Tara!)

Meowlers peeks through the window

I recently moved into a little bungalow in the middle of an old part of Canoga Park. The block holds three large groves of eucalyptus trees–holdovers from when the property had not been subdivided and had been part of local ranches–and a good amount of overgrown open space, and as such plays host to all sorts of fauna adapted to living on the loose in suburbia: Raccoons. Possum. Rats. Mice. Hawks. Owls. Parrots.

And cats.

I am allergic to cats. I never cared much for cats. I was a Dog Person.

Then I moved into this house, and realized it came with Yard Cats.

Cats are pretty highly modified from their wild counterparts. Their constitutions are not as hardy as, say, bobcats or ocelots. They survive ok on their own, going feral and clawing their way through a short and hungry life, but they aren’t built for that. They were bred for a gentler kind of life.

Click through for the saga of Meowlers, my little ball-less wonder, and the wonderful service that is FixNation.

* Ok, only karmic profit…and no, not much fun, but a good deed nonetheless.

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I’d like you to meet Kira and Chi Pig - two lovely ladies in search of a new home.

As some of you know I am moving to London, in less than two weeks, for graduate school (You can read all about it on art.blogging.la). Although I’m excited beyond words for the next step in my life it doesn’t come without its complications such as, well, leaving my beloved Los Angeles, selling really fabulous furniture, and finding a new home for my sweet kitties. I’m like a cat on a hot tin roof trying to find the right new parents and that’s where I’m hoping a Metblogs reader can help me…

Pictured above are Kira (the calico) and Piggy (the tabby). They are roughly thirteen years old and I’ve had them since they were wee-babies. No health problems except for the occasional fur ball. Kira is the sweetest thing ever and Pig, well, let’s just say the cat has some serious personality. Since my dogs have temporarily relocated to my parents’ house, the cats are much happier so I would say that a home without dogs would be best but they certainly can, and have, managed just fine.

Please contact me (at caryn at sixspace.com) if you’re interested and think you can handle the cuteness of their meows, snuggles, and cat fights. These girls are my children and I wouldn’t ever let them go unless I absolutely had no choice. I’m bummed but want to make sure they have the best life possible. I hope to hear from someone awesome soon!!

Spotted on billboards all over Los Angeles: equal parts cultural sensitivity, never overestimating the intelligence (in-tel-ee-jens) of the public and pandering to the masses of Princesses, Chiquitas and their human companions in LA.

In a startling revelation, the Los Angeles Times has learned that the most popular name for Chihuahuas in LA County is Princess. The financially strapped newspaper, which only this week eliminated its book review, Sunday opinion and weekend guide sections from its print edition, revealed  the shocking findings today as it unveiled its new online database for tracking dog names in the county.

“The database offers a fascinating census of the dogs we live with and those we encounter,” says Times Staff writer Carla Hall. “If Shakespeare was wrong and there is something in a name, then ours is a world filled with people’s fantasies about, and hopes for, their dogs.”

LA Times officials estimate that 1,262 Chihuahuas are named Princess, although they admit some tracking errors are possible. They stressed that areas such as Arcadia, Downey, Sierra Madre and La Cañada Flintridge are known for their high Chihuahua concentrations and did not provide official counts.

Calls placed this morning by LA Metblogs to several of the 1,138 Chihuahuas named Chiquita, the second most popular Chihuahua name in the county, were not returned.

Photograph from pedigreedatabase.com

I’m posting this plea for somebody to adopt this beautiful little stray dog because I think getting her placed with somebody else is the only way I’m going to be able to resist adding her to my already-too-large animal brood:

I just found this sweet girl as I was driving to an appointment in Maria Del Rey early this morning (7/29/08). She was running across the street dodging traffic and ran behind a doughnut shop. I followed her and found her in the trash looking for scraps.

I’ve bathed her and given her flea medicine already and am taking her to the vet tomorrow morning. She seems very healthy, just a little malnourished. She’s extremely well behaved, slept in my car and has been quiet and sleeping all day. As you can see by the photos - she’s quite a looker too.

I’m calling her “Rey” for now - she weighs about 20lbs - my guess is she’ll grow to about 70lbs.

If you’re interested, drop me a line in the comments and I’ll forward you the person’s contact info. And make with the clicky for a larger peek at the sweet houndling.

Earlier today my esteemed fellow bloggers Mark and Steve gave you a heads up on the LA Animal Services Adopt a Thon this weekend. Thanks guys, the animals appreciate it.

Now if you’re thinking about getting a dog but you can’t make it to that adoption event I strongly suggest checking out what Bill Foundation is up to. Bill Foundation is a non profit organization that works to put adoptable dogs into loving homes. I’ve mentioned them in the past* but it’s never a bad time to promote finding homes for pups.

Bill Foundation holds adoption fairs every other Sunday from 11am to 3pm at Centinela Feed & Pet Supply Store at 331 North Robertson Blvd. The next one will take place on July 27th, please visit their web site for a full adoption fair schedule.

In addition to be lovable and deserving of good homes the dogs are web savvy: They are on Twitter and You Tube (warning, that link leads to videos of puppies, cute little puppies). I hope you’ll take a look and consider Bill Foundation when you’re ready to take a pet home.

*In the interest of full disclosure, my wife works with Bill Foundation (to find homes for dogs like this one).

Hello, friends. This is a rough time for pets. Whenever the economy takes a dip, dogs and cats get treated as ballast on the sinking ship of a family on the brink of financial ruin. L.A. shelters are overfull and the list of innocent animals marked for the big sleep is getting bigger and bigger.

July 4th is another factor, fireworks go off, dogs get scared, run off and wind up in a shelter.

L.A. Animal Services is having a huge, super-reduced fee, Adopt-A-Thon this weekend:

Saturday July 19th, 8am-5pm & Sunday July 20th, 11am-5pm

Cats & Kittens will be $28 (usually $68)
Dogs & Puppies will be $43 (usually $91)
includes: microchip, spay/neuter, vaccines, license (when applicable)

All six La City Animal Service Centers will be participating in this Adoption event. There are over 1000 dogs and 700 adoptable cats that need homes.

Click here to check out the animals and find out where to pick them up!

Don’t read this if you’re an easily-upset type.

I’m not kidding.

I think I’ve mentioned it before, I have raccoons in my yard. The block on which I live has several groves of eucalyptus and “wild, untamed” Valley floor. I live in a tiny house in the center of the block, off the street. It’s like being in the middle of the woods, right in the center of suburbia. This mini-habitat supports hawks, owls, way too many squirrels that eat my hibiscus flowers, opossum, feral cats and, yes, a number of raccoons. At least three, in fact, one of them very large. I thought this was charming.

Until I woke last night at 5am to a terrible sound.
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