Long Beach Animal Care Services — Attraction in Long Beach

Dogs and their mischief

I was dogsitting 3 dogs, as usual, and I made sure to block off all exits in the yard (front, back, sides) to the street. One of the dogs I was sitting, let's call him "X", is quite the menace & finds ways out that seem improbable. Feeling assured he couldn't get out through my blockage of junk (trash cans, picket fencing, etc.), I left to go to the bank & grab some food. Enjoying a scoop of chocolate mousse royale at Baskin-Robbins, I was texted by the dog's owner, saying they got a call from Long Beach Animal Control that their microchipped dog, X, was at their facility. Being close to closing time at 5:30pm, I could pick him up first thing in the morning.

Arriving there before 10am opening, I gave the number they gave me pertaining to X, showing a pic of X on my phone, and then I would visually verify that X was the dog I came to pick up. One of the staff guided me to the particular kennel housing X, but it was a big dog. Huh? Where was X? The staff member guided me around to until I found a dog that looked & sounded like X. I asked "Did you give him a haircut & shampoo?" I was told they do that sometimes. I thought "Oh, okay". When the staff inquired with a senior staffer, perhaps the one operating the entire operation, she told me there's no way the animal would be there, as impounded dogs are first put into the first building I went to for 6 days. So, we went back to the building to where the dog was supposed to be, and in that kennel was X. Buwhu? He wasn't there when I checked. I even told the staff member who directed me there, "He wasn't there before. It was a big dog, right?" She agreed. It seems like someone placed him there after I just left to look elsewhere.

Now, to release dogs, the front office needs proof of vaccinations &, in this particular case, consent from the owner to pick up the dog as proxy. After a wait for the owner to fax over all necessary documents, the dog was back in my custody & we were off to go home, X being kept in isolation from the other 2 dogs as punishment. All in all, I was there for about an hour and a half. I'm sure things would've been expedited had all necessary documents been handed over.

Service was okay. Again, there was a little switcheroo with where the dog was being housed at. I'm positive another dog, a large dog, was at 749 when I first checked. Other than that, it was merely a waiting game before I could finally go home with X.

The person I talked to the night before about the dog, said she'd leave a not about possibly waving the room & board fee of $19/day, seeing how it was about closing time & I'd be there first thing in the morning to pick X up. Unfortunately, that deal was not honored. Why even say that in the first place?

Overall, it was a good thing X was found safe & sound. He could've been run over, dognapped or who knows what else. Microchipping is a usual feature, because loosing a dog can be devastating. Ask anyone who's had to experience a dog passing away. While I didn't want to be here for this particular reason, the experience was generally a positive one at Long Beach Animal...

The Long Beach Animal Care Services facility is to hopefully find a new home for the animals that have been lost by their owners, gone stray, or are found running in the city streets. The staff are considerate of these animals in their care; they animals are often stressed by the whole situation. The staff work to help the animals calm down and cope with their captivity.

People are invited to view the adoptable animals. Many of the dogs were approachable (many not). Their is a lot of barking with some of the dogs (remember that dogs can be trained not to bark all the time). Actually some adoptive people ask for dogs that bark or even for very aggressive dogs. Me, I prefer a dog that is mellow and happy. I never allow a dog that I have to be aggressive towards people or other dogs. My view is that this protects my animal and others. I am protecting my dog and not the other way around. I care for my animal and not the other way around. This way the dog knows it's place and is much happier pet. Most dogs will give up the Alpha position and loyally accept their owners lead.

You may enjoy visiting the Adoption Center (some families were there when I last visited. The kids especially enjoy it.

I found a couple of dogs that I would love to own if I had a home at this time. One was a small black/grey friendly ten month old terrier. He was so playful and affectionate. Whoever lost that little guy must be very sad. The other heart winning dog for me was a small white ball of fluff (I didn't know the breed). He was so cute although he looked like he really needed a bath and grooming. (I was talking with one of the staff about the dogs and asked which dog was his favorite.. he named both of the ones that I liked... that was amazing as there are about 100 dogs or more in there.

Note: Please be cautious about putting fingers in cages in good advice for you and your children... This message is repeated throughout the facility. Some of the dogs may bite.

Also, the Adoption Center had some gorgeous cats and very cute kittens. There were some little grey kittens that almost anyone would fall...

I understand these places can be difficult emotionally, especially if one's experience may have been pedestrian. I remember coming in around October 2018 with stray kittens abandoned behind a dumpster. I was told on the phone that they would be cared for. After arriving, I inquired carefully and soon found out that they would be euthanized at this shelter. They said that they were too young and the mating season overwhelmed the facility. Devastated, I kept them and found them homes even with my strenuous work life. They felt bad that they couldn't help, so they left us with blankets and dry kitten milk to help feed them.

This May 2019, my partner and I wanted a dog. Now that we had the time to commit to a pet, we went back. The experience was challenging, because I wanted almost everyone of the dogs :D I found a pit bull had been there since September 2018, about when we came in with kittens. He had patiently waited for a home the entire time and the volunteers adored him. The shelter was clean, and full. If you are worried about euthanasia, just know it looks like they are trying their best with their limited resources. I would like to add, I noticed some of the dogs were yearning for attention and its challenging to attend to all the dogs every day. The volunteers make a huge difference!

The staff was kind and courteous, even amazed we had asked to see this dog the moment we arrived. I had learned dogs that stay that long at a facility are AMAZING DOGS and just need a home. So I suggest anyone to check out the dogs who have remained there longer than 3 months. They are well behaved and sweet as can be. We finally decided to keep the pit bull. What a wonderful choice! They were so supportive of our decision and gave us a detailed description of his overall behavior and a well cared for medical chart. This helped us make an informed decision. They were also concerned that after 8 months no one wanted him. I guess that changed this Memorial Day Weekend. Great staff, caring, and visibly want the best for every dog and cat they try to adopt...