Long Beach animal shelter survives the 2027 budget

The Long Beach animal shelter has made it through another budget cycle.

The City Council adopted the city's $4 billion 2027 budget on Sept. 9. The budget passed with a 7-2 vote, with council members Kristina Duggan and Cindy Allen casting the dissenting votes. The proposed budget is available here; the actual budget with the secured items will post on this link in a few days.

The process of the budget development had enormous input from community members and considerable bones of contention among council members. That’s not the only animal pun I’m going to make, though, even though the pleas from supporters of the Long Beach Public Library, the Long Beach Justice Fund and other organizations for underrepresented residents weren’t funny, and the apparent hard work and differences of opinion from the mayor, council and community members were no joke, either, to retain at least some of the slashed budget items, such as Monday hours for the library branches.

Although Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS) got just a comparable pat on the head during the meetings (sorry), at least its tail wasn’t stepped on (sorry not sorry). LBACS has long been understaffed and has its struggles, but the bureau is doing well enough to avoid cuts to staff and services. Reimbursements from its contract cities — Signal Hill, Los Alamitos and Cerritos — have reportedly increased to reflect actual operating costs, and the bureau receives beneficial support from nonprofits and philanthropic organizations. And thanks to management changes and to staff members, nonprofits and volunteers who make the term “dedicated” seem like an understatement, the Compassion Saves policy is working and no healthy animal has been euthanized for space in a long time. No cuts, then, have been made to shelter operations in the 2027 budget.

“The level of care LBACS staff and volunteers provide on a daily basis will not be compromised,” said Jen De Prez, community information officer for the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine. “LBACS is dedicated to ensuring the safety of animals through reunification, in-facility care and finding new homes for those that have been abandoned or surrendered. LBACS continues to make strategic investments in technology, veterinary services, adoption programs, community outreach and staff training to support these efforts.”

LBACS bureau manager Dr. Melanie Wagner emphasized that the shelter is limiting nonessential purchases but is using all their resources to adhere to Compassion Saves.

“We’re treating what is treatable, but we’re relying on our nonprofit partners a lot to help us with some of the bigger surgeries,” Wagner said. “Some of them are K9 Kismet for dogs — we have a lot of dog foundations — Helen Sanders CatPAWS, The Little Lion Foundation and Friends of Normie for cats. Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA) really steps up to support us, with those really good-prognosis animals.”

Rally, a friendly 4-year-old pit bull, had a bilateral TPLO surgery for a knee issue, and FOLBA covered the procedure. (Meet Rally in Yours Drooly.)

“He’s young, his prognosis is good, and there’s no reason not to provide that surgery,” Wagner said. “FOLBA does amazing work for us.”

This isn’t to say that LBACS won’t surmount future obstacles like a border collie on an agility course. The 2028 budget is an unknown; increasing costs related to veterinary services and other necessities will add to financial challenges for the shelter.

“Like other city departments and their bureaus, LBACS will continue to maintain prudent fiscal responsibility throughout FY27,” De Pre said. “This means identifying innovative operational alternatives and cost-saving measures while still supporting the critical operations of LBACS and the animals under our care. This could mean expanding existing partnerships with local and regional rescue groups that already support LBACS operations and identifying ways to expand their service reach for the community and shelter animals, as well as additional fundraising efforts.”

Wagner is right there with her spreadsheet and treat bag. According to De Pre, LBACS proposed two key cost-saving efforts: transitioning to a new shelter-management system that will cost less than the present one and increasing the compensation schedule under Animal Care Services contract cities for animal shelter, impound and emergency services to mitigate any additionally incurred operating costs caused by inflation and other cost increases.

“We’ve always been conscientious about our expenses, but this year, I’m upping how closely I’m paying attention to our expenses,” Wagner said. “We’re asking the community to step up, nonprofits to step up. We’re asking for more donations, like unopened bags of food. The important thing is that the city is backing Compassion Saves.”

YOURS DROOLY

The community is integral to making LBACS’ Compassion Saves Program work and to making the shelter successful. Two ways of doing this are adopting a pet or fostering one to give them a kennel break and chill out.

LBACS is bulging with dogs, especially big dogs. People pass them by in favor of puppies and smaller, “cuter” dogs, and the big boys and girls don’t get as much of a chance to go home and find out how good they are. Thankfully, some people prefer a pooch of a more prodigious size. If you love big dogs, meet three of them who have been at LBACS far too long and could use a foster home and definitely a forever one. You can visit any of the shelter dogs at LBACS, Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 7700 E. Spring St. at the entrance to El Dorado Park (no parking fee for shelter visitors).

“What a sweet senior girl!” exclaims volunteer Patti, one of the BFFs of Tippy (ID#A760125). Tippy’s about 8 years old and is easy to walk, not reactive to other dogs, and friendly to humans and dogs, too! She takes treats gently and would be a wonderful foster or forever friend for someone who wants an easygoing friend. Tippy has hind-end issues that prevent her from running in a normal way, but she has her own special gait, which she trots out to engage play in the play yard.

Here’s our Rally (ID#A746783), whom Friends of Long Beach Animals helped through his knee surgery And why is Rally smiling so bigly? Because Rally is rallying so well that his volunteer buddy Sarah took him on a Fido Field Trip to “celebrate” his One-Year Shelterversity at LBACS, and Sarah wasn’t going to let him spend the day cooped in a kennel where he’d already spent 364 of them!

Rally couldn’t go romping in the grass, but he was up for a pub crawl, or rather, a pup crawl. He and Sarah motored over to Dutch Bros to get a big Pup Cup and then on to In-N-Out for a burger. He refused the bun. “I guess he is on a no carb diet,” Sarah said. “And Rally is amazing in the car! He was so excited when he saw the trunk open and realized we were leaving! He let me lift him up and out. He loved having his head out the window and when the windows were up, he just sat looking out the window or lay down. He occasionally came over to give me a few kisses!” Rally at 4 years old deserves to have smooth roads ahead and a heck of a ride. Ask to meet him. More info here.

Hi, ho, Wetherby (ID#A737020)! Like Rally, Wetherby is a Long-Stay Legend, meaning that he’s been at the shelter for over a year. He had his fifth birthday at LBACS. He’s enjoyed breaks with fosters, though, and they’ve told the shelter staff and volunteers how great he is — playful, goofy and smart. Wetherby’s house-trained and potty trained and good on a leash with someone who can handle those pesky squirrel sightings. He’s also an excellent, respectful passenger in the car. Wetherby would likely do well in a home with people who can help him settle into a routine and adjust to his new family. Once that happens, he loves to be included in activities and spending time with his people. Hopefully, he’ll soon have his last rodeo as a shelter dog and be the star of the show in a forever home.

TAIL-WAGGIN' AND NOSE-BOOPIN' EVENTS

Put a calendar on your calendar!

Electronic calendars are handy, but they’ll never replace the ones you can hang on the wall. They’re more than a convenient way to glance at a month and count, say, how many days you have left before you have to pay taxes or when St. Gertrude’s Day is (Gertrude of Nivelles is the unofficial patron saint of cats). Wall calendars also display photos or pictures of a few of your favorite things, one for each day of the month.

Calendars also provide great ways for cash-strapped animal organizations to raise money to keep themselves going. If you can’t get enough of protruding jaws, slobbery lips, squat little bodies and loving, soulful eyes, purchase your 2027 SoCal Bulldog Rescue calendar by scanning the QR code. Calendar sales fund SoCal Bulldogs’ rescue efforts.

If you know that your cat is destined for stardom — and which of them isn’t? — you have until Sept. 18 to enter them into Helen Sanders CatPAWS’ Show Us Your Kitties! calendar contest. There’s no fee to enter; then, it’s $1 a vote — alert your entire clowder to cough up the votes! Voting ends Sept. 19. You can also reserve a calendar day for just $15: a birthday, a gotcha day or any special day. First come, first claimed on the dates! Enter the contest or vote here. All date reservations and votes fund CatPAWS’ spay/neuter clinics and rescue/medical expenses.

Pet Loss and Illness Support Group monthly meeting

If you’re grieving the death of a pet or are feeling anticipatory grief for one who’s ill, Helen Sanders Cat Paws invites you to a safe space to share your grief. Here,CatPAWS’ cofounder Deborah Felin-Magaldi describes her connection with grief over the loss of a pet whose life she shared:

“Does anyone remember the song ‘Mr. Bojangles’? A line from it hit me even when I was young when I first heard it and already knew the loss of a childhood cat. It has stayed with me ever since:

“‘He spoke with tears Of 15 years how his dog And him traveled about. His dog up and died, He up and died. After 20 years, he still grieves.'

On the third Saturday of each month, you can talk about your loved pets, show photos, even laugh at funny memories.

This month’s Pet Loss and Illness Support Group takes place Saturday, Sept. 19, 11 a.m.–noon at the Bayshore Church, 5100 E. The Toledo, Long Beach.

Frost Fund’s Annual Fall Festival Fundraiser

Pull on your Western boots, button up your flannels, gallop across the county line, and celebrate autumn with Frost Fund at Chapman Crafted Beer! Enjoy an evening of yummy food, line dancing, local brews, raffle prizes, autumn-themed games and local vendors. Your doggy can dress up, too, and enter the costume contest, and children are more than welcome. Strollers are fine, too, but watch out for paws and wagging tails. Through social and news media, Frost Fund finds placement in local and out-of-state rescues, sanctuaries and forever homes for dogs and cats in dire need of rescue. Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS) pets have been beneficiaries of their volunteer efforts. Like many small nonprofits, Frost Fund is financed through donations and fundraisers like this one, so purchase tickets here. Early bird tickets are on sale until Aug. 23. If you’re currently a student, use code YOUTH at checkout for a discount, and bring your student ID at the event.

The Fall Festival Fundraiser takes place Oct. 24, 4 p.m.–8 p.m. at Chapman Crafted Beer, 123 N. Cypress St., Orange. Ticket prices vary.

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.