THE PET ISSUE

Meet Baldwin, above. For a sense of how the recession is affecting pets -- which ones we choose, and how we care for them at home -- you could start with this 1-year-old Chihuahua mix waiting for adoption at an SPCA-LA center in Long Beach.

Baldwin has a lot of company. As pet owners lose jobs and homes, shelters are reporting a surge of animals in need. In the first 10 months of 2008, L.A. Animal Services recorded a 20% increase in the number of dogs taken in compared with the same period in 2007. At the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA, the monthly intake of dogs has risen 33% in just one year. The odds are particularly daunting for black dogs such as Baldwin. PAGE 3

But while the number of animals in need grows, so too does Southern Californians’ devotion to their pets. Whether they’re constructing a Victorian house just for dogs, sports fields for fish or coops for chickens, people increasingly treat animals like members of the family. To get a sense of the trends, start with our pet spending report, PAGE 2.