Readers who happen to be old ladies:

Younger men are better looking, healthier, have more energy, are more fun, don’t need Viagra, and won’t die on you!

Such is the rationale for tonight’s California Cougar Convention.  While older men are considered men even though they show off their grays in the form of a young blond, society’s answer to the reverse situation is: predatory animals.  So, in the spirit of the jungle kingdom, the Society of Single Professionals (yes) organized tonight’s convention  for cougars and their would-be cubs at the Beverly Hills Crowne Plaza Hotel.  Thirty dollars will buy you access to the stalking, the pouncing, and the purring; in addition, the young cubs will vote to elect a Miss Cougar California (who must be 40 or over (that’s who an “older woman” is, apparently) and “legally single”) during the night’s dance party.

For those of you who want so desperately to cougar, but don’t know how, take the 6:30 class in cougaring at The Cougar School, free for paid convention goers.  I’m not exactly sure what this will entail, but I’m envisioning the scene from The Lion King where Mufasa teaches Simba how to pounce.  Cubs, heed the sign’s warning: If attacked, fight back.  Zazu should have been so lucky.

When mountain lions attack photo taken by jurvetson and used under a Creative Commons license.

Well, I guess that happened months ago, perhaps when people started Fairey-ing their Facebook photos. But  I wonder if this  image of a dog with the word “ADOPT,” which I snapped in Marina del Rey, adds to the universal iconography idea that might help Fairey in his lawsuit with the Associated Press.

Animal lovers abound here at LA Metblogs (among the authors and readers) and whether the animals are cats or dogs or bunnies or birds or even coyotes, we love them all.

On Sunday October 4th, Race For The Rescues is a fun family event to raise money to support our homeless dogs and cats and seven of the amazing organizations that keep them out of the city shelters and therefore out of the death chamber. The day’s host is The Rescue Train, a non-profit, no-kill organization, saving as many little lives as they can.

The main event at the Rose Bowl will be a 5k walk/run and 1 mile kids race. There will also be music, LA Laker cheerleaders, shopping and of course, pet adoptions. This event alone makes a huge difference in the lives of pets waiting for adoption. From the website:

In the past three years, Race For The Rescues raised over $200,000 to help support seven non-profit rescue groups. Once again we are proud to say not one dog or cat from this adoption day went back to a city shelter to face euthanasia. Help us meet our goal this year to send those city shelter trucks back EMPTY!

Sign up for the event here, or if you can’t make that day, you can send in donations or sponsor another 5k-er.

Let’s keep them goggies and lolcats out of the city shelters and get them into loving homes.

Race For The Rescues
Sunday October 4
Registration opens at 7am and events run until afternoon

If you are a dog lover and have the need get some exercise, Sunday will be the Wiggle Waggle Walk in Pasadena hosted by the Pasadena Humane Society and SPCA. The 1th annual fundraiser will take you on a walk around the Rose Bowl. The event, which runs from 8am – 2p, will feature various pet contests & demonstrations, many pet-friendly vendors and a Family Fun Fair.

Join thousands of animal lovers at the 2009 Wiggle Waggle Walk to help the more than 12,000 animals Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA cares for each year. Gather your family, friends, co-workers and canine companions. Collect donations and enjoy a scenic walk, jog or stroll of 1 to 3 miles around the Rose Bowl.

All fundraising information can be found on their website.

The ReelDog Film Fest is your chance to check out some canine-centric short films with your dog in a fun outdoor setting, all while helping a great cause. This unique festival benefits PAWS/LA, an organization that assists low-income seniors and people with chronic or life-threatenting illnesses in keeping and caring for their pets. PAWS/LA is currently serving 2000+ people keep and care for more than 1700 animals.

The event is this Saturday night in Cheviot Hills Park. People and their dogs are welcome to picnic in the park before the movies and visit the various vendors who will be catering to furry companions. Tickets are $10 per person and are available at the box office starting at 6pm. Children under 12 and dog are admitted for free. The screening of approximately 1 hours of shorts will begin at sundown. I went to a similar event a few years ago and had a blast, as did my dog Rusty.

My dog, Rusty, enjoying Dogfest, a similar event @ The Autry in 2006, which also raised money for PAWS/LA

Cheviot Hills Park is located at 2551 Motor Ave. in Los Angeles (near Century City). For more information, contact info@pawsla.org or call (323)464-7297 x113.

Amoeba Hollywood @ night by Jodi

Amoeba is one of my very favorite places in L.A. It’s my go-to spot for unloading old CDs, thumbing through the bins of deeply discounted DVDs, and buying previously owned music. Besides being a place with a  fantastic selection of music of all genres, movies, live performances, and more, Amoeba is dog friendly and encourages folks to bring their canine pals along to shop.

Considering the store’s open arms policy to dogs, it’s not too much of a suprise that they are hosting a pet adoption this afternoon from 12pm to 4pm. Lange Foundation is a local organization dedicated to finding new homes for pets in need, as well as a sterilization program throughout L.A. County. They will have some furry friends for you to meet and possibly take home. At 4pm there will be a charity auction to benefit the group. Even if you aren’t looking to add a pet to your family, stop by and support a great cause.

Amoeba Music is located at 6400 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.

When I think about charity, the first image that pops into my head is a zipper busting troupe of lingerie-clad burlesque dancers surrounded by distressed wood paneled walls, Gothic mirrors, 200-year old architectural trappings, the smell of British gastro pub fare – and of course, bingo!

On Sunday, September 27, Royal Clayton’s and Legendary Bingo will host “Bingo Burlesque,” a regular event that occurs on the 4th Sunday of each month. The funds raised at the door benefit local and national charities. So you see, since this is all for a good cause, it may actually be the only time that you can get loaded and drool over nipple tassles without having to worry about going to H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEY-STICK, if you know what I mean, and I think you do, heathens.

On this sin approved evening, your $20 suggested donation will include a scorching Burlesque show, 10 thrilling games of heart pounding bingo and the hurts-so-good feeling that you are helping support a very special charity, Downtown Dog Rescue. Doors open at 6:00 PM and the show begins at 7:00 PM.

Downtown Dog Rescue was founded to assist the homeless community of dog owners. It is the only program in California, and possibly the United States, that specifically helps homeless dog owners spay/neuter, vaccinate, license their dogs, as well as offering a variety of services including crisis care, for the life of the dog.

Please call Royal Clayton’s at (213) 622-0512 to reserve a table for the event. (more…)

Actual flyer. Please print, copy, and post wherever coyotes may see it!

A coyote snatched Jessica Simpson’s dog before her very eyes, per a tweet she sent Monday evening.

@jessicasimpson: http://twitpic.com/hrudr – My heart is broken because a coyote took my precious Daisy right in front of our eyes. HORROR! We are searching. Hoping. Please help!

Clearly, this is incredibly urgent. Coyotes aren’t known to keep malti-poos as pets for very long, and according to urban legend, will often sell these dogs to NFL players to be used as “playthings” for their rottweillers and pitbulls.

“Mommy” Jessica Simpson is offering a reward for Daisy’s safe return, NO QUESTIONS ASKED.

In case this turns out badly, I’m asking all Metblog readers to chip in with me for a gift that will help protect any of Jessica’s future canine pals: a leash.

Thanks to Sean’s twitter feed, I learned yesterday that the Pasadena Humane Society, who has taken in 200+ evacuated pets affected by the Station Fire, desperately needs donations of blankets, food, money, etc. I had a case of premium food that my picky dogs won’t touch that I took over to them. I always feel so helpless when a natural disaster is going on and was happy to make a helpful gesture, no matter how small it is in the grand scheme of things.

The Pasadena Humane Society is located at 361 S. Raymond Ave. The facility is closed to all adoptions at this time and are keeping the doors locked. However, you can knock on the door and they will graciously receive your items. While they are typically closed on Mondays, I confirmed that they are accepting donations today. If you have any questions, you can call 626-792-7151.

Che Needs a Permnanent or Foster Home, Can You Help?

This week’s featured rescue dog is a three year old Vizla/Pit mix who was minutes away from being euthanized at the West Valley Pound before the nice people at Karma Rescue stepped in to help.

Che is a very playful, energetic guy who needs someone who can give him plenty of exercise. He is housebroken, great with other dogs and apparently even friendly with cats too! Che is currently living in a temporary boarding facility where he isn’t getting a lot of attention. He could really use a structured home environment until Karma Rescue finds him a permanent home, so if you can volunteer as a “foster parent,” please e-mail info@karmarescue.org for more information.

You can also stop by Karma Rescue’s regular pet adoption events held at Kirby’s Pet Depot located at 12112 Venice Blvd in Mar Vista (one block east of Centinela). Check Karma Rescue’s web site for more information.