Fostering a dog for the 4th of July saves 2 lives

Oh, here we go again. I write about this every year, and you’ve probably seen a lot of social media on the subject. All fireworks, “safe and sane” or not, are illegal in Long Beach; they wake up people who had to go to work the next day, ,the explosive noises freak out military veterans and others with PTSD, and the booms terrify pets, dogs in particular. And fooligans set them off anyway because they don’t know or don’t care.

Shelters are already packed with unwanted pets, and Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS) is no exception. The preholiday literal blowout parties bring in even more, and kennel space is compromised. But a workaround powered by empathy and love makes room for the lost souls while their owners come looking for them. Foster the 4^th encourages residents to foster dogs for a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of forever if the foster can’t bear to say goodbye at the end of the period.

Live Love Animal Rescue’s founder Emily Ann Peters started the program in 2016 in partnership with LBACS. It succeeded bigly. Foster the 4^th is now in its 10^th year at LBACS and just had its 2026 kickoff at the shelter on June 18. Some happy dogs went home with equally happy people, and hopefully more will follow, wagging their tails behind them.

During LBACS’ Foster the 4^th kickoff, visitors met pups in person and talked about them with the volunteer ambassadors, who were walking the campus showing off the ambassadogs (sorry).

Shelter superintendent Alma Vera-Lima joined the foster and adoption teams to answer questions and facilitate fostering. LBACS partners Blockhead Brigade, K9 Kismet and Zoom Room showed up to introduce their programs and provide resources.

Foster the 4^th will provide fosters with anything their charge needs, including any medical care needed.

“We have a supplies station here — we have crates, we have bowls, we have bags of food,” Vera-Lima said at the kickoff.

If someone applies to adopt their foster during the time period, the foster is expected to bring the dog to the shelter for a meet-and-greet. With that in mind, if you foster a dog and decide somewhere down the line that you want to make it permanent, make sure you get dibs on them. Locate the pup by name on the LBACS pet page, and hit the red Submit Interest button. Much as you may want to, you can’t just keep them at the end of the 30-day period!

If you couldn’t make it to the Foster the 4^th kickoff, you can still participate. More match-up sessions take place Tuesday, June 23 and June 30, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Keep your dog out of danger in the first place

During the scofflaw season, give your pets a quiet place to be in the home. Don’t put them in the yard or anywhere outside. Some dog and cat roommates like to use Thundershirts. If your pet tends to overreact, ask your vet to prescribe a sedative.

Best Friends offers these suggestions:

• Stay calm: Check when local fireworks are scheduled, and bring pets indoors beforehand. Set dogs and cats up in a cozy room with closed windows, drawn curtains, and their favorite toys or blanket. Try playing calming music or turn on the TV to help muffle the noise.
• Keep it clean: Promptly clear the property of any firework debris if celebrating at home, as they contain chemicals and heavy metals that can be seriously harmful if a pet were to get into them. Keep a close eye on dogs and cats during backyard time and on walks following the holiday in case neighbors indulge in the celebrations.
• Hold the scraps: While a cookout spread might be tempting to share, many summer staples, including avocados, grapes, onions, and ice cream, are toxic to pets. For those who can’t resist sharing a treat from the table, try frozen watermelon chunks, blueberries or baby carrots as safe, pet-friendly alternatives.
• Tag up: Double-check that the information on a pet’s identification tag and microchip is current before the holiday weekend. Should they get startled and run off, up-to-date contact information will help bring them home. Year round, microchips are essential in helping keep pets and their people together and is key in helping the country achieve no-kill, which means saving every healthy and treatable pet in shelters.
• Plan ahead: Pet owners should have emergency contact information easily accessible or saved in their phone, so if an emergency happens, they can quickly reach out for help. Key contact information to have on hand includes local emergency veterinary clinics and nearby shelter.
• Get the Go Long Beach app on your phone (it’s free) or go to their website to report fireworks activity. The city’s website has a fireworks information page with information about reporting fireworks as well.

And for dog’s sake, don’t take your pet to a fireworks display or anywhere people might be setting them off, like the beach. They won’t have fun.

A safe holiday and a good night’s sleep to you and yours, particularly the dog.

Want to give a lost dog some space and a shelter dog a well-deserved vacation? Follow this link for information about fostering and how to apply. Specify that you want to participate in Foster the 4^th. Additional extended hours for foster matchmaking take place on Tuesday, June 23 and June 30, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

YOURS DROOLY

Want to help make room for the pups who become frightened by flashes and booms and wind up at LBACS? Or are you considering a more permanent arrangement? Either way, here are three candidates for fostering, adoption or both. You can give them a calm, quiet holiday as well, or maybe make every day of their lives a safe holiday.

To adopt one of these dogs or any shelter pet, access this link, do a name search, and follow the instructions to apply to adopt. Be sure to read all the vital statistics. Follow this link to apply to foster. Better yet, meet everyone in person at LBACS, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach, at the entrance to El Dorado Park (no parking fee for shelter guests).

Luciano (ID#A755269) is a special guy because he’s been selected to participate in K9 Kismet’s DIESEL project, a new training program created to offer a paw up to LBACS shelter dogs with tons of potential. In the program, Luciano spends two weeks with a professional trainer to fine-tune his manners and build the skills he needs to live his best life in a home with his forever family. As a bone-us, his future adopter will receive a complimentary training session with his instructor, helping ensure a smooth and happy transition into his forever home. That should be no problem for Luciano. This 3-year-old cutie has a great smile, much affection for people and a good attitude toward life.

Tallulah (ID#A755826) was still in her kennel when I went in. A photo behind bars would block her beautiful self, but this one’s a good substitute. Tallulah’s been at LBACS since January — that’s six months. She’s a great favorite of volunteers and the people at the DIESEL projects. She loves her walks, but she needs a maximum of out. A dog this big needs a break, and one this sweet deserves one.

Here’s Minerva (ID#A757615) again with her volunteer buddy Denise. Minerva is 3 years old and already has the calm going on. Volunteer Beverly said that she waits patiently to be leashed, exits her kennel without trying to get at her neighbors, and walks gently by your side. She’s not reactive to other dogs nor does she pull on the leash to chase lizards (I can’t vouch for squirrels, however). Minerva takes treats oh, so gently and enjoys a good body-cuddle session. She takes time to smell not only the roses but also absolutely everything she smells on her walk. She also has no quarrel about stepping back into her kennel. If you want to provide a dog with a calm shelter break, Minerva has already done most of the work for you!

TAIL-WAGGIN' AND NOSE-BOOPIN' EVENTS

Rabbit vaccine clinic

The Bunny Bunch Rabbit Rescue will host Dr. Jen Kumar of Baker Bristol Pet Hospital for the vaccines your bunnies need to keep them healthy. $75 for health check and initial shots; $40 for second dose. Book an appointment here, or call 909-631-9552.

The Bunny Bunch vaccine clinic takes place Sunday, June 28, 10534 Bechler River Ave., Fountain Valley.

Trivia for Lebanon fundraiser

Join Cool Cat Collective and local Lebanese Long Beach resident Sarah Salamé for an evening of trivia, cats and fundraising to support Lebanon’s people and animals. Answer over 60 questions about Lebanon and cats, and learn while you compete for fun prizes. As an added bonus, the adoptable cats from TippedEars will join and whisper the answers in your ear! Cool Cat Collective will donate all proceeds from the event to support the Lebanese Red Cross and Animals Lebanon — the previous Lebanon Trivia event raised over $1,100 between ticket sales and contributions! This event has limited capacity, so come early with your team, or play solo!

The Lebanon Trivia fundraiser takes place Thursday, July 9, 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. at Cool Cat Collective, 2741 E. 4th St., C, Long Beach. Tickets are $15 each; purchase them here.

Whiskers & Words open mic night

Think you can get a word in edgewise with a bunch of cats milling around? Feline Good Social Club (FGSC) would like you to try! The cat lounge invites local writers, musicians and cat lovers to Whiskers & Words, a unique open mic night dedicated entirely to the pointy-eared characters in the audience and at large. Human attendees can step into the spotlight or settle into the audience while the lounge’s free-roaming, adoptable resident cats do their best to distract. Performers may share original poetry, read favorite cat-centric literature, or strum acoustic songs inspired by their four-legged muses.

It’s the perfect opportunity for animal advocates and creatives to express their devotion to felines in a cozy, supportive community space. “Our resident kitties make the absolute coziest audience in Long Beach,” said Pam Leslie, Chief Feline Officer (CFO) of FGSC. “Whether you are stepping up to the microphone or just soaking up the creative energy, you get to cuddle with adoptable cats the entire time. It is a wonderful way to balance local art with vital animal socialization.”

Whiskers & Words takes place Saturday, July 25, 6:30 p.m.–8 p.m. at Feline Good Social Club, 301 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach. Tickets are $19.99; purchase tickets or sign up to perform at this link. All proceeds support local cat rescues.

Need a low-cost veterinarian, information about trapping community cats, places to volunteer, pet food, veterinary assistance, rescues and shelters to adopt from — anything pet related? Follow this link for resources. Please add your own ideas in the Comments section.