Walk Fido

Big Guys Need Love Too

  

This lovely stray was found outside Walk Fido's offices last week & we'd very much like to find him a home. If you or anyone you know can take him in - or offer him a foster situation until he finds a forever home - that would be wonderful.

He's a big bluish/fawn 2 year old pit bull & he is a sweetheart.  While visiting him at the shelter over the weekend, he was calm amid a sea of barking/crazy dogs, came right over with tail wagging and doled out lots of kisses. 

We're reaching out to downtown rescue orgs & resources as well as all those in LA who have a special fondness for these bullies and will keep you posted, but we wanted to get the word out to all of you as well.

Here are his details:

ID # A1087152
Kennel NSIO59

Rescue Update

• The Christmas hit & run dog that we eventually caught and brought to the North Central Shelter has been adopted!
• The friend of the hit & run dog has been rescued off the street (we tried to bring her back to Walk Fido headquarters twice and she wouldn't budge!) by a lovely woman who has taken her in and given her a home!
• Four other strays were found roaming the streets and when we dropped them off at Lacy for microchip scanning none of them were chipped!  It's always sad when sweet dogs are found without identification and have to be taken down.  Owners, please ID your dogs.  For their sake and yours.

We Found Him!

Last night, while walking the neighborhood, we found our hit and run stray from Christmas! He's alive! He's walking, barking and wagging his tail!  He does, however, have a slight limp. We leashed him up & brought him to the North Central Shelter where he'll get a proper examination and some much needed food & attention. 

Even better news: When we dropped him off, the shelter mentioned their NEW POLICY: no animal is put down unless they have severe medical problems. They have enough space to keep them all until they find a home!  Hooray!   Now that is something to celebrate this holiday season!

If you are interested in adopting this beautiful boy or want to follow his progress to a good home, his Animal ID is: A949136. You can search for him right here.  He's not yet up (it takes a few days!), but as soon as he is, you'll see his information. 

A Hit & Run Christmas

After a long Christmas Day of walking dogs, our last walk was winding down and we were heading back to Walk Fido for a holiday feast.  As we walked down Hewitt near the Savoy Lofts, we heard a car slamming on its brakes. It was dark, there were very few street lights (with all the ongoing construction) and we couldn't figure out why a car would be stopping so quickly when they were the only car on the street.  Seconds later...as a large stray mastiff was hit and flew up in the air...we understood why the car was trying to stop.  Unfortunately, they didn't stop soon enough. The dog was hit and was thrown into the air before landing on its side.  Instead of stopping, the car accelerated and kept driving.  Those walking on the street stopped in their tracks, stunned. How could you hit a dog & keep driving? On Christmas? It was terrible.

Very quickly, however, the dog got up and ran away. We spent a good hour or so looking for him, but couldn't find him. Several local residents were very helpful in pointing out where he might have gone, but we had no luck.  We are so worried that after sustaining that kind of impact, he may be suffering from internal injuries and may not have very long. We looked for him again this morning, but no luck.

Apart from worrying about the dog, we also wonder about the driver. How could they drive away? What a terrible way to celebrate a holiday.

Downtown Strays

We continue to be surprised by how many stray dogs there are roaming the streets of downtown.  Not a week passes without identifying yet another stray.  Some turn up out of nowhere, never to be seen again. Others appear regularly, getting close enough to say hello...yet they quickly run away if you approach them.

Walk Fido always attempts to leash up these dogs and bring them to a shelter where they will be examined, fed and given a place to sleep. Most importantly, if they are in good health (and most of them are!) they get a chance at a new life with owners who will love them, discipline them and take care of them for the rest of their lives.  Most of these strays are not neutered and can easily breed, which only adds to the growing problem. If these dogs are brought in and given a chance, we can slowly begin to control the animal popluation & reduce the number of animals in shelters waiting for homes.

If you encounter a rescue roaming in downtown LA, you can contact Animal Control at: (888) 452-7381. However, because we often encounter strays at night after the Animal Control unit can come and pick-up strays, you can always call/email Walk Fido and we'll help where we can. We seem to be heading down to the North Central Shelter (at Lacy Street) about once a week.  We are happy to report that 90% of the dogs we've delivered to the Lacy Street facility have either found their rightful owners (the miracles of microchipping!) or have been adopted by a family for a new lease on life.