At the animal shelter , every dog and cat has a story  to tell,  perhaps the strays  most of all. Sometimes it's an open book --  neglect, benign or otherwise. You meet many a diamond in the rough, or one who has had it rough.  Big and little guys and girls who need a gentle but firm hand to guide them back or into civilization. But sometimes the only story is a mystery. Meet Big Red, or Gentle Ben, or Ferdinand the Bull.  Of good size and proportions, you can wrap your arms around this fellow and feel the beat of a faithful heart.  A lab mix with a noble head; polite, intelligent, true. He …

When William Blake wrote: Tiger, tiger burning bright/In the forests of the night, ” and Andrew Lloyd Weber set TS Eliot to music (“Memory/all alone in the moonlight”), they had my family in mind. Carl Sandburg, who knew his way around a metaphor, crossed out “fog creeps in on huge dog paws, slobbering, ”  the moment  my great grandmother leapt on to his lap.  If genius is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration, well, we cats don't sweat; it's not in our physiology. We're on the sweet side of the equation.  We're the meows. I mean mews. No, I mean muse. (Sorry, I had my tongue).   Not to brag, …

I don’t ask a lot from my dogs. Aside from our sanitation agreement (their job is placement; mine, removal), just walk calmly on the leash and leave my gym socks alone. That last rule seems to be in perpetual negotiation. After an hour at the Pasadena Humane Society with two professional dog trainers, I left  a convert to this simple but significant message: “Some behaviors you modify, and some you manage,” said Drew Marsden, Behavior & Training Supervisor. Modify aggression, jumping, anxiety. But  if Pumpkin always explores your trashcan, well here’s a thought: Move the trashcan. Or the gym …

I have much in common with my neighbors Julius Hudson and Kay Smith. They like good music , I like good music. Smith's dogs, who Hudson walks and sometimes cares for, are rescues, and my dogs are rescues. Hudson has run in every LA marathon for the past 24 years, I've thought about running in every LA Marathon for the past 24 years. Uncanny, isn't it? Well, enough about the bi-peds. You may think pit bulls, in terms of unhealthy human obsessions and uncertain futures, have pulled the unluckiest card from the canine deck. Statistically, greyhounds can  trump them.  More greyhounds are "put …

It's your own fault, you know. Even with your immense charm (don't blush, we've all heard the stories), you simply can't  wait until the day before New Year's Eve and expect to get a date. Yes, many drummed their fingers, expecting your call, but everyone has their limits. So I ventured out  in the rain today, just for you; just to find someone warm and sweet for you to cuddle with on the couch and toast in 2011. Don't thank me; that's why I'm paid the big bucks. You like soft brown hair, big brown eyes? Check.  And guess what? This boxer/bulldog cross is a football fanatic. Plus, she thinks …

When an individual is found to be hoarding pets on a massive scale, it makes for spectacular headlines. Last week, the Pasadena Humane Society rescued 250 cats from a 600- square foot facility on Altadena Drive near Colorado Boulevard. The story made national and international news for a day or two. But when the dust of sensationalism cleared, all that really remained was a story of sadness and misery. Though the cats are now in protective custody at the Pasadena Humane Society, this story might well continue for a year or more, through the court system, as PHS must battle the individual in …

The gentlest dog I ever met was a pit bull named Buster. The most ornery dog I ever knew was a five-pound yorkie named Sweetie. Buster and Sweetie, I had their number and they had mine. Dogs wear their heart on their sleeve. Good heart, rogue heart, it doesn't take long to know what you've got.  The former would rescue a litter of castaway kittens.  The latter would steal a roast from the table and then, just when the wrath of the family was about to descend, collapse on floor and point a paw to his heart.  Some of us happen to have a thing for rascals. This goes for cats, too.  True …

When volunteering at a local shelter -- a shelter that specialized in one particular breed -- I discovered the holiday season wasn't always like a PetCo commercial. Not for all too many pets, anyway.  This shelter dreaded January, because we could expect a whole lot of new clients – the Christmas Dogs. Dogs purchased in bad faith, to serve as nothing but super cute and seasonal window dressing, to be disposed of once the tree hit the curb and the lights came off the house. I was going to get all preachy, but this is certainly not the place. Anyone who reads a pet rescue column is already in …

My parents had dogs, as did their parents, and their parent's parents. From a cultural even a genetic perspective, I always considered myself a dog-person. And about all those cats I'd liked, loved, cuddled through the years -- the cats that belonged to friends or showed up on my doorstep? Well, that could be easily explained: They were dog-like cats. Eventually, though, the number of dog-like cats I met swelled to equal, embrace,  almost every cat I ever met, until it dawned on me -- I didn't just like dog-like cats; I liked cats.  In their own right and for their own cat-like ways.  Cats …

When I was growing up, we had a succession of miniature schnauzers: Heidi 1, Heidi 2, etc. When I left home (we were on Heidi 3 at the point), I headed off to a local animal shelter and adopted a huge red and black, 100% breed-indeterminate,  mutt. Bru and I were to travel around the US for the next thirteen years. In one way we should be glad dogs live relatively short lives. Otherwise we could never bear to say good-by. I asked several fellow-bloggers to write a few lines about one of the rescued pets in their lives (they're also unabashed fellow-dog & cat lovers). Here are their words and …

 After his moment in the Patch sun, Pepe, our featured dog of the past two weeks, the retriever-pug mix,  has had  shout-outs from friends  in the South Pacific, Australia, Arizona, Canada, New York --  how many dogs can say that? And while popularity is all very nice of course,  nothing trumps a home of your own. About that home ... Pepe's still looking; I don't get it. Pepe has the badge of honor – the Pasadena Humane Society Blue Ribbon --  as the perfect companion. He's small, but not too small to be a protector. He's young, but not too young to mind his manners. He likes people of all …

Pepe, our pet of last week,  is still here at the Pasadena Humane Society. People … PEOPLE, what are you thinking? Why stew over the economy, global warming, the past elections, when you should be concerned with things that really matter?  Puppies, for instance. It's my fault, no doubt. I didn't make it clear that Pepe, in addition to all his virtues and tidy personal habits,  is also a babe magnet.  And this matters to you because? Because, maybe your best friends are afraid to tell you, but I'm not:  You're so good looking,  smart and/or creative, that sometimes you seem unapproachable. But…

Some of my friends at the Pasadena Humane Society call me Mr. Perfect, Mr. Wonderful, or Best Guy. But you can call me Pepe, #A279054. This woman who is mooshing my face in the pictures calls me SugarBooger,  but that's not my choice for the long term. I'm a good boy because I really work at it. Maybe that's my pug and labrador upbringing. Not to brag, but I have a Blue Ribbon on my cage, telling everyone I've passed my training tests  and I'm a gentleman. If you want some vital statistics, I'm about four years old, and 26 pounds in my stocking feet. I might be the calmest dog in this place…

A funny thing happened on my way to meet Goldie, I ran across Sir. I've got a thing for boxers. So this is Pets of the Week. First Goldie. We're back at the Pasadena Humane Society, and Hillary, my guide, wants to show off one of her favorites.  It's likely more than three breeds splashed around in Goldie's gene pool--maybe golden retriever, shepherd and collie--but the combination works. Goldie is a soft blond, pretty girl; giggly and flirty, with lots of energy.  As you can see from the photo, she knows about eyeliner and is not afraid to use it. She'd make an excellent walking and hiking …

Real estate is a hard sell these days, so let it be known, Angelica is in the market .  She isn't greedy.  If you sit down and measure your thighs, length and width, you'll know just how little will make her happy. On second thought, don't bother measuring. All she wants is your lap. The Pasadena Humane Society rescued Angelica this summer, somewhere on Summit Avenue. She's 3 years old and loves to touch and be touched, sit quietly or play a rousing game of tickle and punch. Best of all,  Angelica is a lady;  she doesn't scratch, bite, smoke or curse.  A music lover, she's partial to …

Most dogs in Altadena have three major interests: Sleeping, squirrels and recreational barking.  Trust me, I know.  You won't see my dogs, or most of the others in Altadena, packing a lunch pail and heading off for the office. But there are exceptions. Meet AnnaBelle. You may think a dog who won't sit, shake or stay just isn't trying hard enough, yet AnnaBelle is one of the hardest working dogs in the country. She tracks and finds bad guys, and lost guys, and any other kind of guy or girl who needs finding.  AnnaBelle is a working Bloodhound. Joined by her owner/trainer/handler Dennis Slavin…