As an incentive to adopt a dog or cat this New Year, the Best Friends Pet Adoption and Spay/Neuter Center in Mission Hills is offering $25 adoptions every weekend from Jan. 11 through Feb. 9. All pets are micro-chipped, vaccinated, and spayed or neutered prior to adoption.
Studies show that having a dog or cat can be instrumental in helping humans achieve such New Year oriented goals as reducing stress, increasing exercise and even expanding one’s social circle.
“Whether you’re looking for a jogging partner or a couch potato to keep you company, we have your perfect pet match at our center,” Marc Peralta, executive director of Best Friends Animal Society – Los Angeles said.
There are more than 400 dogs and cats of all ages and breeds to choose from at the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center. The center is open from noon to 8 p.m. daily and is conveniently located just minutes from the 5, 405 and 118 freeways.
Adoption specialists are eager to help adopters find the right pet for their lifestyle, according to Peralta.
“If you’re a very active person, Buddy, a year-old Bull Mastiff mix, loves to run and play. Buddy would make an amazing hiking or running buddy,” Peralta said.
Dogs like Buddy can also help their owners make new friends.
“Have you ever noticed how many people hang out at dog parks or go for walks with their dogs? It’s a great way to meet other animal lovers,” Peralta said.
Someone looking to lower stress might consider adopting an adult cat like Krystal, a seven year old ragdoll with beautiful blue eyes. “Cats love to chill out with people. They’re low-maintenance pets that give back a lot of love in return,” Peralta said.
Adopting a pet can help with another common New Year’s resolution: making the world a better place.
“The sad truth is that more than 9,000 dogs and cats are killed every day in U.S. shelters simply because they have no safe place to call home,” Peralta said. “Adoption is a key companion in how, by working together, we can Save Them All.”
Save Them All is Best Friends Animal Society’s call to action to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters. An authority and leader in the no-kill movement since its founding in 1984, Best Friends runs the nation’s largest no-kill sanctuary for abused and abandoned companion animals, as along with life-saving programs in partnership with rescue groups and shelters across the country. Since its founding, Best Friends, along with other national groups, has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from 17 million per year to 4 million.
Best Friends Animal Society Los Angeles works collaboratively with local animal rescue groups, city shelters and passionate individuals who are all dedicated to making Los Angeles a no-kill city. As part of this mission, Best Friends hosts adoption and fundraising events, runs the Best Friends Pet Adoption & Spay Neuter Center in Mission Hills, Calif., and leads the NKLA (No-Kill Los Angeles) initiative. The NKLA initiative is comprised of more than 70 Los Angeles-area animal welfare and rescue groups working together to make L.A. a no-kill city by 2017.