Animal lovers’ calendar: Weekend of Jan. 30-31 and beyond

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The coming weeks and months are full of events sure to appeal to Southern California animal lovers. We’ve got the details on a number of activities, from low-cost vaccination clinics to adoption events to an opportunity to view the L.A. Zoo’s animals in a decidedly different light. (Are we forgetting something? Let us know by leaving a comment.)

This Weekend:

Saturday, Jan. 30, SPCA-LA hosts a low-cost vaccination and microchip clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at its P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village and Education Center, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach. The clinic will offer rabies vaccinations for cats and dogs ($5); DHPP vaccinations for dogs ($15); bordetella vaccinations for dogs ($10); FVRCP and leukemia vaccinations for cats ($15 each); and microchipping for cats and dogs ($25). More information at spcaLA.com.

Saturday, Jan. 30, the L.A. Department of Animal Services holds a mobile adoption event at the West Hollywood Petco location, 508 N. Doheny Dr., from 1 to 5 p.m.

Upcoming:

Friday, Feb. 5, animal lovers can help needy cats without even leaving home through FreeKibbleKat.com, a website devoted (along with its sister site, FreeKibble.com) to feeding homeless animals at shelters across the country. On an average day, FreeKibbleKat posts a cat-related multiple-choice trivia question, and each visitor’s answer triggers the donation of 10 pieces of dry cat food to a shelter. But during Friday’s Hi-5 event, it’s upping the ante, donating five times the amount of cat food it normally would (that’s 50 pieces of cat food, kids) for each response. (Pet food company Halo is sponsoring the event and has also partnered with the FreeKibble sites to donate a meal to a shelter animal for each new follower to its Twitter account, as well as FreeKibble’s Twitter account.)

Saturday, Feb. 6, join the Capistrano Animal Rescue Effort (CARE) for the seventh annual CARe Show, an exhibition of vintage and classic cars with proceeds benefiting the group’s work on behalf of needy animals. The event takes place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, 25925 Camino del Avion, and also features a live band, food from Ruby’s Diner, a disc dog demonstration, prize drawings and more. Guest admission is $5 for adults, $2 for children aged 11 to 17 and free for children aged 10 or younger. For more information or to learn how to exhibit your own car at the event, visit CARE’s website.

Saturday, Feb. 13, SPCA-LA hosts PAWS to Read at the Hermosa Beach Library, 550 Pier Ave., from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Through the PAWS to Read program, children practice their reading skills by reading to a decidedly nonjudgmental audience: certified therapy dogs. Beginning and independent young readers up to age 12 are eligible to participate; the program is free, but advance registration is recommended. More information at spcaLA.com.

Saturday, Feb. 13, SPCA-LA invites potential ‘foster parents’ to learn about its fostering program from 10 a.m. to noon at its South Bay Pet Adoption Center, 12910 Yukon Ave., Hawthorne. ‘Foster parents’ are needed to care for puppies and kittens that are too young to be adopted, as well as older dogs and cats with special needs. More information at spcaLA.com. (The L.A. Department of Animal Services offers a similar program for underage puppies and kittens; more information on that program is available at the department’s website.)

Saturday, Feb. 13, festive dogs and their owners to the ‘Mutti Gras’ pet parade and costume contest at the Original Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax in L.A. from 1 to 2 p.m. Prizes will be awarded to the event’s best-dressed dogs, and local rescue group Bark Avenue Foundation will be on hand with adoptable pets from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Owners can register their pets in advance by visiting Three Dog Bakery’s Farmers Market location; more information and directions at FarmersMarketLA.com.

Sunday, Feb. 14, the Los Angeles Zoo hosts ‘Sex and the City Zoo,’ a Valentine’s Day-themed event for animal lovers, from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. From 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., docents will offer guided tours of the zoo’s most beloved animal couples. A chocolate, champagne and wine reception begins at 3:30, followed by a presentation by Michael Dee, former general curator of the zoo, on the love lives of animals. Tickets are $35 for the general public and $25 for zoo members. Reservations are required. For more information or to reserve tickets online, visit LAZoo.org.

Sunday, Feb. 14, the Bark Avenue Foundation hosts a pet adoption event at the Original Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax in L.A. from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information or to view adoptable animals online, visit BarkAvenueFoundation.org.

Saturday, Feb. 20, SPCA-LA hosts a low-cost vaccination and microchip clinic from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its Specialty Spay/Neuter Center, 5026 W. Jefferson Blvd. The clinic will offer rabies vaccinations for cats and dogs ($5); DHPP vaccinations for dogs ($15); bordetella vaccinations for dogs ($10); FVRCP and leukemia vaccinations for cats ($15 each); and microchipping for cats and dogs ($25). In honor of Spay Day U.S.A., goodie bags will be available during the clinic while supplies last. More information at spcaLA.com.

Tuesday, Feb. 23 is the 16th annual Spay Day U.S.A.; events to encourage spaying and neutering of companion animals will be held across the country throughout the month of February to celebrate. To find events near you or to volunteer your services, visit HumaneSociety.org.

Ongoing:

Through Feb. 5, L.A. art gallery Thinkspace plays host to the group exhibit ‘A Cry For Help,’ which features more than 100 artists’ animal-themed works. According to our sister blog Brand X, Thinkspace ‘encouraged each artist to weave animal imagery into their work with the aspiration of filling the Silver Lake gallery like a cabinet of natural curiosities.’ The best part: 20% of proceeds will be donated to Born Free USA and the Animal Protection Institute. More information at the gallery’s website.

Through Earth Day, April 22, 2010, secondhand-clothing store chain Buffalo Exchange and the Humane Society of the United States jointly host ‘Coats for Cubs.’ Animal lovers are encouraged to clean out their closets (or parents’ and grandparents’ closets) and donate any real-fur items found there (including fur trim, accessories and shearling) back to the animals. Of course, it’s too late to give the fur back to its original owner, but it can still be used as bedding for orphaned and injured wildlife -- and it doesn’t do your conscience any harm either. Fur in any condition is accepted and can be taken to any Buffalo Exchange location. (If you’d like to claim your fur donation as a tax deduction, you’ll need to mail it directly to the Humane Society rather than dropping it off at Buffalo Exchange; mailing information is available at HSUS.org.) More information at BuffaloExchange.com.

-- Lindsay Barnett