Today's Rescue - Nero and West L.A.

Chris and I went over to the West L.A. shelter today when I found out that Nero the Shepherd (see Dec. 21 and Jan. 21 posts) had been transferred from North Central to better his chances of adoption. Poor Nero! Turns out he's not good with other dogs and has been relegated to a small, dark cage in ISO. I think they're trying to work with him, but it was very depressing to see him cooped up in a strange place. He looked confused and unhappy.

The dogs in the regular cages looked particularly sad today as well. Maybe the shelter has been euthanizing lately. The air felt heavy and tired.

Rose was a stray, and she can't understand why she's suddenly behind bars. So she barks a lot. She just needs some love and someone to trust and make her feel secure.



Calvin was turned in with his best friend Chloe, a chubby shar pei, and he obviously loves her more than anything. When I tried to take Chloe's picture, Calvin barked at me, then turned and licked her face. I really, really hope they can be adopted together.

This sweet little pit was my favorite today, maybe because her chances of being adopted are very, very slim, but also because she was obviously such a nice girl. Her cage mates, both much bigger dogs, were barking and tromping all over her, but she didn’t growl or fight back - she just closed her eyes and waited for them to stop.

When I put my hand cautiously up to the bars, she licked my fingers and wagged her little tail as if I were the love of her life.

She broke my heart.


West L.A. shelter
11950 Missouri Ave. (just off Bundy Dr.)
Los Angeles, CA 90025

To adopt one of these dogs, call 888.452.7381 or go to www.laanimalservices.com for more information.

Nero the one-and-a-half-year-old German shepherd mix (ID#: A826734) at North Central in January.