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Teamwork Counts During LA Fires
The flames roared out of control in the hills above Los Angeles in late August, leaving some residents little time to pack up the family car, kids and pets and leave. The blaze, which as of Labor Day had consumed more than 155,000 acres, threatened communities from the northeastern tip of the county to Pasadena and Altadena. During the firestorm, the Pasadena Humane Society was inundated with family pets needing a refuge from the flames, and it wasn’t long before they were pressed for space. Yet the animals kept coming. But none were turned away thanks to some fast-acting volunteers and a collaboration that took some of the shelter animals on an adventure from Los Angeles and Long Beach to Irvine.
Ryo Matsui, a Best Friends and Pasadena Humane Society volunteer worked with Robin Harmon, Adoptions Manager for Best Friends Los Angeles and Marilyn Pazienza, volunteer coordinator at the Irvine Animal Care Center to make room for all. Robin was able to find enough temporary homes to take 11 Humane Society shelter dogs and Marilyn was able to get the Irvine Animal Care Center to take 34 shelter dogs from Pasadena at the height of the threat to area communities on Aug. 30. That allowed the Humane Society to place evacuees in regular kennels instead of the travel kennels that already occupied most of the open floor space at the shelter.
Though the smoke from the fire was easily visible from the Humane Society, the facility was never threatened and volunteers worked diligently to keep the animals calm and comfortable.
Photos by Ryo Matsui: Smoke from fires visible from Pasadena Humane Society; dogs await relocation to foster homes and Irvine Animal Care Center; evacuee cats fill every available space during fires.
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