Lend A Paw visits the LA Mission

The Lend A Paw team is excited to get to work after arriving at the LA Mission

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

             It is now a tradition that on Christmas Eve, the Lend A Paw team visits the LA Mission. The mission serves the public all year, and on Christmas Eve they block off the streets in order to be able to provide food and entertainment to the homeless. Thousands of people, many of them children, line the streets from 3am in order to be able to participate. We had 12 volunteers bring their dogs to visit with the children to ease the stress of their long wait.

Dawson sits patiently while this woman pets him.

Lisa and Ash are always ready to brighten someones day.

Many of the homeless are children, and others are disabled. It is comforting to them just to be able to pet a dog for a few minutes. Without having steady income and a place to live, most disabled homeless individuals do not have the luxury of being able to apply for the help of a service animal.

Gabi is happy bringing joy to these children.

   Many of these children have experience with dogs, but not with     healthy well-trained dogs. The children told stories of dogs they had seen running on the streets, and many spoke of being scared when seeing certain dogs. A big part of our work is education. It is important to educate children about how to treat animals and help them to understand that they too can raise happy and healthy pets.

Ash is new to our team, and doesn't mind standing still for babies.

Dex loves to "lend his paw."

Joel Moore was at the mission helping to serve the food. He has volunteered with New Leash On Life as a judge during our Nuts for Mutts events.

 

We hope you had a happy holiday season. New Leash On Life wants to thank all of its dedicated volunteers for a successful year, and want you to know how much we truly value your support. We are looking forward to working together in 2011!

Alyssa Milano, fellow animal advocate, enjoyed taking time off the food service line to visit our therapy dogs. She enjoys giving back to the community on a regular basis.

Scheduled Visits - Week of December 13th

There are two scheduled visits for this week:

Tuesday, December 14th @ 1:00 PM:
Jewish Home for the Aging / Grancell Village
7150 Tampa Ave
Reseda, CA
Come and meet the residents of this facility and bring lots of smiles and happiness. We will meet 5 minutes early, at the large patio, north of the parking lot.

Wednesday, December 15th @ 1:30 PM:
New Horizons
15725 Parthenia St.
North Hills, CA
This is an indoor classroom visit. We can take up to 4 teams. It is very relaxed and casual; We go to each classroom and ask if they would like a visit. If they say yes (and they always do), we just walk around and greet the students and give them a chance to pet the dogs. They also love to see any tricks you might know!

Scheduled Visits - Week of December 6th

There are 4 scheduled Lend A Paw visits for this week:

Tuesday, December 7th @ 2:15 PM:
Westside Regional Center
5901 Green Valley Circle
Culver City, CA
Great site at a State Agency! Visiting challenged diabetics in a lifestyle fitness program (the only of its kind.) Good talk, wonderful clients, a great opportunity for sharing safe dog training tips and animal care. Ample parking in large lot. Please come!


Wednesday, December 8th @ 12:00 PM:
New Horizons
15725 Parthenia St.
North Hills, CA
This is a lunchtime visit to a facility for developmentally challenged adults. They are always very happy to see the dogs. It's a warm and friendly place and everyone has a good time. Please join us and check it out. We can take up to 6 teams, but need at least 4 to carry out this visit.

Saturday, December 11th from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM:
Lend A Paw Certification Workshop
K9s Only
18603 Topham Street
Tarzana, CA
This is a workshop to certify new dogs and volunteer handlers for the Lend A Paw Pet Therapy Program. We will also be re-certifying any current volunteers handlers/dogs whose certification has expired (certification expires after 1 year.) If you have a dog that loves people, is over 1 year old, is spayed/neutered, and has basic obedience, you are welcome to go through the test with us. All participants who pass the test on this day, will be certified with Lend A Paw. Contact Sharon at sharon@k9sonly.com or 818-344-9663 for more info.

Sunday, December 12th @ 10:30 AM:
Oakview at University Village Assisted Living and Nursing Facility
3557 Campus Drive
Thousand Oaks, CA
We visit two groups at this facility and the residents really enjoy our visits. We can take up to 4 Therapy Teams and we meet outside the front entrance.

Scheduled Visits - Week of November 29th

Scheduled Visits - Week of November 29th

There are three Lend A Paw visits scheduled for this week:

Tuesday, November 30th at 1:00pm:

Jewish Home for the Aging / Grancell village

Taper Building

7150 Tampa Ave.

Reseda, CA

This is a skilled nursing facility where the residents and staff enjoy visits from their furry friends. Please meet Gayle and Wickett 5 minutes before at the large patio.

Wednesday, December 1st at 10:30am:

Edelman Children's Court

201 Centre Plaza Drive

Monterey Park, CA 91754

Imagine spending a day at the courthouse waiting to speak with judges and attorneys about your life. Now that's stress! Please come with Lexee and Chellee to add a little comic relief for good kids ranging in age from 5 to 17 years old. It will put a smile on their faces and yours too. We need at least 4 Therapy Teams for this visit (only 1 signed up so far!) or we will have to cancel.

Sunday, December 5th at 10:00am:

Country Villa Nursing Home

9655 Sepulveda Blvd. North Hills, CA 91343

This is our monthly visit to the wonderful residents at this nursing facility. We need up to 4 Therapy Teams to carry this out. We meet Janis and Deja Blu out in front of the facility before going in.

Sceduled Visits - Week of November 22nd

There are two scheduled Lend A Paw visits this week:

Wednesday, November 24th @ 10:30 AM:
Santa Clarita Adult Day Health Center
22903 Soledad Canyon Road
Santa Clarita, CA

NOTE: OUR ACTUAL START TIME IS 10:45 AM. We can have up to 3 teams visiting and putting smiles on the faces of physically and/or mentally challenged adults.

Saturday, November 27th @ 10:30 AM:
Jewish Home for the Aging / Eisenberg Village
Factor Building
18855 Victory Blvd., Reseda, CA 91335

This is our second visit in November. This event is typically a little longer than one hour but please, stay as long or as little as you can. We will start in the Factor Building, first floor, and move to the second floor. We will then continue our visit in the GC Building where we will finish our day. Hope to see you there!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!

Scheduled Visits - Week of November 15th

Tuesday, November 16th @ 1:00 PM:

Jewish Home for the Aging / Grancell Village

Taper Building

7150 Tampa Ave., Reseda, CA

Please join Gayle and Wickett for this visit. The residents really look forward to our visits and we can take up to 4 teams! Let's meet 5 minutes early at the large patio.

Wednesday, November 17th @ 1:30 PM:

New Horizons

15725 Parthenia St, North Hills, CA

This is an indoor classroom visit. We can take up to 4 teams. It is very relaxed and casual. We go to each classroom and ask if they would like a visit. If they say yes (and they always do) we just walk around and greet each student and give them a chance to pet the dogs. They love to see any tricks you might know!

Meet Flora - Therapy Dog in Training

This is Flora, a 1 year old Chihuahua/Pug who is playful, energetic, and very cuddly. She is a fun girl who wants to be with people and give them love.

Flora was found as a stray and ended up at the shelter, before being rescued by New Leash On Life. This little bundle of energy loves going on walks, and playing with her toys, but is also very happy to sit in your lap and give you kisses.

Because she loves to be with people so much, she was chosen to be the next Lend A Paw trainee. She has moved to K9s Only where she is undergoing training and learning to become a therapy dog.

Flora is also looking for a home to call her own and would love to continue her training to become a Certified Lend A Paw member along with her new family.

If you or someone you know is interested in meeting and possibly adopting Flora, please contact Sharon Vincuilla, Lend A Paw Coordinator and Training Manager at K9s Only.

Story and Photo by Nathalie Seguin