A GIFT WITH HEART WARM VALENTINE LATEST PET PROJECT.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

VAN NUYS - Valentine's blooms wilt in the vase. Cupid's candy can bring on the blahs. But love - true romance - is forever warm and fuzzy.

Pet Orphans Fund of Van Nuys invites lovers to think outside the candy box this Valentine's Day with the gift that gives back - a pet.

``Your dog, your cat, will love you no matter what - through thick, through thin,'' Adam Toss, a POF adoption counselor, said. ``Their love is the ultimate Valentine.''

Pet Orphans, one of the San Fernando Valley's oldest nonprofit humane shelters, will waive adoption fees for ``Ultimate Valentines'' - animals 5 years and older - through Wednesday.

Each dog or cat - saved prior to execution at the pound - is spayed or neutered and comes with a complete battery of shots. Adoption fees, which normally range from $65 for cats and $150 for dogs, are written off to Cupid.

``It's difficult to get a lot of senior dogs adopted out because people want a puppy to grow up with their children,'' Toss said, walking through a maze of dogs eager to be touched, petted and taken home.

``But what people don't realize is that senior dogs are more stable with children - puppy energy and child energy don't mix real well.''

``Pre-owned'' pets, given up then adopted by new loving owners, can be more loyal than puppy-raised pets, humane experts say. They generally behave. And they're wont to do their business outside, not on the carpet.

The animals' faces, however, tell their story.

Forty-two dogs, some with senior schnozes, eyebrows up to say ``Are you for me?'' Fifty cats, some with graying whiskers, noses down to say ``Am I for you?''

Dogs bark. Dogs bounce. Dogs whimper for attention. Cats lie in wait. Those available include:

--Dandy, 6, a sweet shepherd mix found dodging cars on a 405 Freeway on-ramp in Granada Hills.

--Beth, 7, a sad German shepherd with the face of Rin Tin Tin, abandoned at a veterinary hospital with her female pup.

--Boo Boo and Buddy, 10 and 7, two feisty Chihuahua-pinschers given up to suit a new condominium homeowners association.

--Bliss, 10, a sweet-but-shy cat with the look of Sylvester.

There's one thing Saints Valentine and Francis can shake on: Pets need loving homes, and loving homes need pets. Pet Orphans, a no-kill shelter that's placed 15,000 animals since 1973, matches both - with a ``Happy Tails'' bulletin board to prove it.

When filling out a pet application, Valentine's recipients must: Participate in their dog's or cat's selection to prevent another unwanted pet; prepare a place for the animal, in order to integrate it into the family; make a lifetime commitment to care for their pet.

``Frankly, we're not enthusiastic about dogs and cats as gifts,'' said Tom Hubbard, 45, of North Hollywood, a Pet Orphans Fund volunteer who adopted Belle, a 9-year-old Jack Russell terrier, two years ago.

``We live in an economic culture that values disposability - if you want a new one, trade it in. That means appliances. That means furnishings. That means even spouses,'' he said. ``We are swimming upstream and working against that, in trying to treat animals as family members, rather than objects.''

A new pet, properly adopted, however, can be the love of the family.

``It's unconditional love,'' said Pet Orphans Fund community outreach coordinator Mychelle Blake. ``Take home a pet to love on Valentine's Day.''

The Pet Orphans Fund shelter is open between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. seven days a week. For information about adopting a pet or making a donation, call [phone], or consult www.petorphansfund.org.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Kennel attendant Dale Holland gives a haircut to Toby, a sad-faced cocker spaniel who needs a new home.

(2) Tom Hubbard pets Beth, a German shepherd mix, who's available for adoption fee-free through Wednesday.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer