Shelter gives rescue animals a leg up
Newport Beach annexed West Santa Ana Heights from the county in 2008. During those lengthy negotiations, I chaired the Santa Ana Heights Redevelopment Agency Project Advisory Committee.
One thing the committee fought hard to preserve in the annexation agreement was the dog kennel zoning on Riverside Drive.
It’s been years since I visited the area, but recently Stasha the Wonder Dog and I decided to check out the new home of the Newport Beach Animal Shelter located there.
Readers may remember that in November the city terminated its agreement with the Orange County Humane Society amid allegations by city staff of unsanitary and inhumane conditions at the Huntington Beach shelter.
Newport’s city shelter is now housed at the Home Free Animal Rescue and Sanctuary at 20302 Riverside Drive.
What’s nice about Riverside Drive is that the kennels — including the shelter — are actually at residential homes.
Home Free Animal Rescue and Sanctuary opened in 2010. It’s the brain child of Kathy Leonard.
An estate attorney for more than 20 years, Leonard followed her passion for rescuing dogs and bought the property when the original owner, who’d operated a kennel there since the 1950s, died.
The day Stasha and I visited, Valerie Schomburg, Newport’s animal control supervisor, was on site and explained how the two different entities co-exist.
Leonard’s nonprofit agency rescues only dogs and is a no-kill shelter.
The city animals are housed there too — Leonard’s staff cares for them — and the city takes in cats, dogs, birds, etc.
Schomburg says the city tries to reunite animals with owners, while others hope for adoption.
A small percentage are euthanized in situations where animal control has taken in an animal that has either bitten someone, is deemed dangerous or is too ill to survive.
Leonard tells me they are always looking for volunteers to socialize dogs by taking them for walks and to help post on social media the animals in need of adoption.
Home Free Animal Rescue and Sanctuary has a website, https://www.homefreerescue.org/ and Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/homefreeanimalsanctuary/
Schomburg says those interested in the city’s dogs and cats can visit the animal control page of the NBPD site, https://www.nbpd.org/community/animal_control/our_animal_shelter.asp
Both organizations have information on how to adopt animals on their sites. Each has a slightly different procedure.
I was impressed with the cleanliness and the spirit of the city’s new animal shelter. It’s a perfect fit with Leonard’s rescue organization.
After talking with Schomburg and Leonard it became clear that the concept of keeping animals locally within the community is the best approach.
Newport got it right here; it baffles me why Costa Mesa hasn’t followed suit. Maybe these two cities should just buy a facility on Riverside Drive and pool their efforts.
How we treat our animals says a lot about who we are and our city leadership.
It was obvious to me that Leonard and Schomburg love what they do.
“Our goal is to save lives,” says Leonard.
Walking around and visiting with the animals tugs at your heart. I rescued Stasha at the Pet Expo at the OC Fairgrounds four years ago.
April 22 through 24 Leonard’s organization will participate in the 2016 America’s Family Pet Expo at the OC Fair and Event Center.
Last year, 45,000 folks attended the event, and “more than 600 dogs, cats and even a few guinea pigs were adopted,” says Jennifer Becker, who does public relations for the expo.
Becker estimates more than 9,500 pets have been adopted through this event in conjunction with their Southern California animal rescue partner organizations.
“Since America’s Family Pet Expo started more than 25 years ago, the mission of the World Pet Assn. has been to educate consumers about responsible pet care and ownership, says Doug Poindexter, president the World Pet Assn.
I adore this event. I find pet products there I don’t find anywhere else, and there are so many species to learn about.
Back again this year are fan favorites like the diving Splash Dogs, the Weiner dog races, dog stunt show and police and protection dog demos.
New for 2016 are mini farm animals and the Camp Rusk Foundation for Retired Horses.
But if you are considering adopting a rescue there are key factors to consider, according to Stasha’s trainer, Vladae the Russian Dog Wizard.
He advises clients to make their adoption decisions based on the family’s lifestyle, not “how cute or cuddly a particular rescue may look.”
Many rescue animals come with behavioral issues that can be trained away, he says, but adoption is a lifetime emotional and financial commitment folks need to be ready to make.
The last thing you want to do is have to return the animal to the shelter because you didn’t think this through.
BARBARA VENEZIA lives in Newport Beach. She can be reached at bvontv1@gmail.com. Listen to her weekly radio segment on “Sunday Brunch with Tom and Lynn” from 11 a.m. to noon on KOCI/101.5 FM.